Wild Aces
by Mslead-Kytrin
Summary: Natsu was as wild as the stars he was born from and the west he lived in. Beholden to none save his family, he finds himself on the trail of mystery to find what he has lost. Drawn, whether by fate or circumstance to a celestial wizard, he can't seem to stop running into her as danger looms dark on the horizon. [NALU]
1. Above One's Bend

**Hello everyone! Welcome to the new story written by us: Mslead and Kytrin! We're so glad you all are joining us for our newest creation! We've got a lot in store for this fic, and it sees our return to writing! Thank you to everyone who has read our previous works: Parallels, Golem and Sandcastles. Hopefully we'll be able to bring you more stories in the future! But for now please enjoy this new trek into the west! We have quite a wild ride for you coming up!**

 **-::-**

 _ **Wild Aces**_

CHAPTER 1

 _ **Above One's Bend**_

 _Out of one's power, beyond reach._

-::-

Dust was a way of life. It was breathed into hardy lungs, beaten under the soles of feet, and it lined the folds of clothes. No matter where you came from, or who you were, the dust was always the same.

But that hardly mattered, because the world was rich with life and filled with color. Fairies filled the forests in the east, while dragons coiled their large bodies in the sand to the west.

Humans took to settlements along the sea, spilling out from coast to coast as they explored a world so strange to them. The creatures, older and wise from time and experience, watched the small, new humans explore, for they were fragile and curious.

The humans were marvelous beasts and as they began to grow and thrive, the other races began to leave their homes and fade away with the magic they were known to possess. But the humans had their own abilities, and they were clever. Clever and enticing to those who had not retreated to realms the humans could not touch. Those few remained, and watched, and marveled. None more so than the stars themselves. Separated already, they looked down at this fascinating new race that dared to dream dreams larger than themselves, and looked to the stars for guidance. Enchanted, no few of them began to fall in love with humanity and it's endless spirit of adventure and innovation.

So smitten were many with the humans, the stars themselves began to fall down to earth in their eagerness to come closer to these fascinating creatures.

Keys forged from the hearts of stars, burning gold and silver fell into the hands of mortals, granting not only rare magic but power over the heavens. Where other stars, without manifesting a key, found company with humans in other ways. One in particular. A mighty leader among his kind. Powerful, fierce, and benevolent, he possessed the strength to walk among humanity at will, and it was in so doing he discovered a new kind of love among mortals. The love of hearts and bodies entwined.

And from this love a new race was born to this celestial spirit and the humans he fell in love with. A race known as the dragonkin, fathered by the star Draco. Mightiest of the Eastern Zodiac, equal to Leo the Lion, and second only to the Celestial Spirit King himself.

-::-

"Daddy! Daddy! Lookit what I made while you were gone!"

Draco turned around at the excited cry, a broad grin on his lips as he flung his arms wide and scooped up the small blue and white blur before she could trip over something.

"And what is it my little queen?" He grinned at his daughter, bouncing her slightly to settle her in his arms.

Wendy beamed back at him, her gap toothed smile proof that she was starting to lose her baby teeth, and his heart ached a bit at the sign of what he was missing.

He loved each of his children deeply. But as a celestial spirit, even one as powerful as he was, he was unable to remain in the human realm for more than three or four moons at a time before needing to return to recuperate and attend to his duties. Ordinarily, it wouldn't have been so bad, but their mother had passed away the year before to a human fever Wendy had been too young to cure. Which meant his precious hatchlings were on their own far more often than he liked.

To say nothing of the state of all their hearts after the loss of his lovely wife.

However, he buried his still sharp grief alongside his heartache that he could not be there to provide for his children more as Wendy proudly produced a small sculpted rock that looked something like a horse.

"It's a horsey!" She exclaimed with a giggle, "I found the pretty rock an' Gajeel helped me use sand an' my wind to shape it!"

"It's beautiful darling." He rumbled with a smile and kissed her forehead fondly, "Thank you. I'll make sure it gets a spot of honor in my hoard."

Wendy squealed happily and rubbed clumsy hands at her forehead. Draco watched with amusement, silently noting with approval that despite being on their own his baby was clean, neatly dressed, and still in possession of her baby fat. It was a feat he knew his hatchlings, tough and talented as they were, would not be able to produce by themselves, and made a mental note to thank the stars helping him look after his family when he got back. Even subtle help tended to go a long way down here.

He was drawn back to the present when Wendy yawned a little, and his heart melted all over again. His little girl was still so young compared to all of her brothers. Except, of course, for Sting and Rogue, the twins which were currently busy trying to pull one another's hair out as they ran out of the house to greet him.

He repressed an eye roll at the nestling's antics and let out a sharp growl at them. They froze instantly and let go of each other so they could waddle over to him and crawl onto his lap, shuffling around Wendy so they could crowd in on their father.

"Now little ones, where might I find your older brothers?" Draco growled happily at his children and dipped his head to blow raspberries into their stomachs. They all screamed their happiness, and Draco clung to the memory with both hands.

He wanted to immortalize this, and every other, moment before he had to return again to the stars. His children were half dragon and could more often take care of themselves, but he still missed them when he was forced to go months at a time without seeing them.

Laxus and Erik were already so much older than the rest.

He was just happy those two were able to grow up with their mother's love and care. At least in that regard they were able to teach his two rather stubborn middle children.

And speaking of which, a small ball of fire exploded from behind one of the sheds and went zooming past them like a tumbleweed, slamming head over heels into an outcropping of rock and scaring one of the horses.

"That was a dirty cheat Gajeel!" The fireball snarled as it hopped up and resolved itself into a little boy with pink hair, bared fangs, and random bits of fire on various parts of him. Scales popped up all over his skin as the boy bared his growing fangs and stalked towards the shed he'd come from, bright red dragon wings unfurling from his shoulders in a sign of just how angry he really was.

"Natsu..." Draco rumbled quietly just as Gajeel rounded the corner with a broad, toothy, smirk.

"Gihi! Ain't _my_ fault you wasn't paying attention runt!" He cackled, "I told ya not to mess with the firesand didn't I?"

"And you should not be leaving such things out where it's easy for him to get into." Draco rumbled sharply, reminding the boys he was there, "You know Natsu's element is volatile and unpredictable until he learns better control."

Natsu scuffed a sheepish toe in the dirt and Draco sighed a little as he gently nudged Wendy and the twins off his lap, "It's not your fault." He soothed as he knelt next to his son, who tried to be so much older than he was sometimes, "Your fire comes from Igneel. The mightiest fire dragon king of all time, and one of the strongest stars in my constellation."

He grinned and ruffled Natsu's hair, pleased to see the scales were already retreating, "It's not surprising it would take you time to learn how to master it right?"

Natsu's small frown turned into a brilliant grin as he abruptly launched himself at his father.

Draco chuckled as he stood up, slinging Natsu casually onto his hip as he did, and walked over to where Gajeel was standing with his arms crossed. His lips twitched at the sight. Gajeel might try to hide it, but he could tell how happy his grumpy metal child was, and was rewarded with a hug as soon as he opened his other arm invitingly.

"Now..." He sighed happily as he squeezed both his sons tight, "Where are Laxus and Erik?"

"Laxus went huntin'." Gajeel reported, "But he should be back soon. Erik's in town."

Draco acknowledged it with a nod, but not before he noticed something different hanging around Natsu's neck. It was something he would have seen before as it stood a little out of place among what his children normally wore.

It was a plain leather cord, tied in a clumsy knot around his neck. But it was the pendant on it that seemed to truly catch his eye.

A piece of gold glittered in the cord, carefully polished. Just a hint of rainbow glowed over the surface, tempered a little by the heat that came naturally off Natsu's body.

He ran a thumb over it, noticing how Natsu seemed to stiffen, his smaller hands raising protectively as if to shield the trinket. Still, he seemed to gather his wits quickly so he only laid a smaller hand against his father's wrist.

"Where did you get this from Natsu?" Draco asked, recognizing his son's hoarding instinct for what it was, and respectfully took his hand away. Even the smallest of treasures they could hold onto were precious to his hatchlings, and he had no wish to upset Natsu.

Natsu's cheeks turned a telling shade of red, but Gajeel let out a loud giggle and nudged his brother's arm.

"His _princess_ gave it to him as a gift!" Gajeel smirked.

"She _was_ a princess!" Natsu protested hotly, "An' you know she was dummy! You were there!"

"Gajeel?" Draco asked curiously as Gajeel huffed and crossed his arms again.

"I didn't see nothin' alright?" He grumbled, "Runt there ran off while me an' Erik were in town a couple weeks back, an' he comes back an hour later babblin' about his pretty princess and holdin' a bag full of money."

Draco raised an eyebrow at that and turned his attention back to a sulky looking Natsu, "Will you tell me about your princess Natsu?" He asked gently, "I'm very curious to hear about her."

Natsu blushed a little, "Her name was Lucy." He mumbled with a slight pout, "She was real nice." His pout turned into a smile as he thought about her, "She had real pretty gold hair. She was in the sweet shop tryin' to get a caramel apple..."

Draco chuckled, "And you were going to try and steal a fireball weren't you?" He smirked.

He knew he should scold his children about stealing from others, but he couldn't bring himself to fault them for doing whatever it took to survive in the absence of him and their mother. Though he did try to impress on them it was always better to at least barter for things if they couldn't buy them. Still, he knew perfectly well that wasn't always possible. Especially since he didn't dare risk giving them too much of his own hoard lest it attract the wrong kind of attention.

Natsu grinned brightly at him and nodded, "It was just one! It would've been only a penny!" He puffed his cheeks out a little, "It's not like he would've missed it anyway!"

Draco shook his head, "So what happened when you met your princess in the candy shop?"

Natsu flushed again, "She caught me stealing." He admitted, "And she got all upset so _I_ got in trouble and the guy there chased me off."

His shoulders hunched, his cheeks flushing even darker as he thought about how he had gotten caught. He could feel his father's gaze on him, sharp with worry and a flicker of temper behind his eyes. Natsu shifted a little, knowing Draco's anger came from his fear that Natsu would be taken away from him by the human authorities.

"Are you okay?" Draco murmured, bumping his forehead against Natsu's, who nodded up at him.

Somewhat appeased his son hadn't been given any lashings or had his unusual nature found out thanks to an attempted thievery, Draco smoothed a hand through Natsu's pink hair.

"Go on, what happened after you were chased away?" He rumbled.

Natsu took a breath and he fidgeted with the gold piece around his neck.

"She followed me out," Natsu murmured, still a little surprised if the awe in his voice was any indication.

"She found me in a barrel of rainwater after the store owner dumped me in to teach me a lesson, and I was spittin' mad," Natsu mumbled.

He dipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out a pink, lacy handkerchief that was now stained with some spots of dirt and damp, "She gave me this to dry off my face, since she didn't know 'bout my magic or nuthin, and gave me a big ol' chewing out about why stealing is bad."

"But she also brought me some sweets too, so I guess that was okay," he mumbled, twisting the fabric in his hands. He smiled a little, thoughts drifting off to the girl in her poofy dress, filled with tulle, rich fabrics and ribbons. She really had looked just like a storybook princess.

"I told her I didn't have any money after-..." He cut off, not wanting to talk about their mother, but he swallowed and went on, "-after ma, and she got real sad..."

Draco growled soothingly at Natsu and his other hatchlings, "It's alright Natsu."

Natsu sucked in a shaky breath and nodded, "Anyway... her ma died too, but she said it wasn't fair that I didn't have money and she did so she gave me hers."

The quiet awe returned at the memory and he smiled, "Dad, she gave me eleven whole gold coins!" He breathed, "She said one was for me," He curled his fist around the coin around his neck, "And the rest was for my family."

He frowned a little and looked at his father in confusion, "Dad... why did she give me so much money? Was she a fairy princess?"

Draco chuckled, trying not to let his surprise at the unknown girl's generosity, or what that implied about her wealth, show, "I doubt she was a _fairy_ princess. But she sounds like she _was_ a very nice princess all the same. You said her name was Lucy?"

Natsu nodded vigorously, "Yeah! She was all dressed in pink, and she had gold hair and a keyring with keys." His eyes widened as he suddenly realized something, "Dad! They were celestial keys! Gold an' silver! Just like you talked about!"

Draco nodded, a fond smile lifting over the corners of his lips, "There are as many celestial mages as there are stars in the sky Natsu."

"They are very special, and have contracts with the stars. It doesn't surprise me you'd find yourself a celestial princess. After all, you have the fire of the stars in you already," He rumbled out a laugh of amusement.

He looked up at the stars. Soon, he would have to return to them and leave his children alone again to fend off the horrors of the mortal world on their own.

But for now, now he would cherish the time he had with them while they were young and he could still hold them in his arms.

"Laxus and Erik will be back soon," Draco summoned up the flames of Igneel and fed a handful of fire to Natsu as he spat out another one to crackle merrily in the pit his hatchlings had dug out. He leaned back, spreading out onto a blanket with his nest all nestling in close. Even the older children like Gajeel and Natsu all moved into his warmth.

"For now we'll rest. It seems you have all had a very exciting day," Draco murmured and hugged his hatchlings close. Natsu and Gajeel hissed at one another for a prime spot, but after a few moments of scuffling they too settled down.

They had a few moons before he had to return to the heavens, and he planned on taking advantage of every moment.

-::-

 **Act One**

 **That's a wrap for chapter one! Thanks to everyone who read this chapter. Please leave us a review to let us know you liked it or not! We will see you guys next Sunday for chapter two. Until next time!**


	2. Road Agent

**_PLEASE READ:_ Mslead here! Just wanted to let you know when the update schedule was! This fic updates once a week on Sunday. Normally we would do once every couple of days, but since my schedule isn't always kind, we have to do it this way for now. It could change should our schedule permits.**

 ** _WARNING:_ This fic basically takes place in the old west. So there are some adult themes that may be littered throughout the fic. Drinking, mentions of brothels, the works. So just be cautious going forward. **

* * *

CHAPTER 2

 _ **Road Agent**_

 _A robber, bandit, desperado._

* * *

It was getting late.

Not that such things really bothered Natsu much. In fact, sunset and nighttime were often the best times for them to work. But it wasn't the rapidly darkening sky that was bothering him. It was that stupid clock he'd been staring at for the last half hour.

It said, quite clearly, that it was half past eight according to the oh so precious train schedules, and his brother should've been up here to watch with him fifteen minutes ago.

Natsu growled irritably and popped a fireball into his mouth, enjoying the spicy-hot cinnamon taste. He knew where his brother was of course. Erik, or Cobra as he called himself outside the nest, was as predictable as the sunrise.

Then again, when most of Cobra's work involved hustling, knowing he was either tumbling a pretty thing or fleecing a bunch of gold prospecting morons wasn't a big surprise. Unfortunately, that didn't change the fact that the poisonous bastard was late and the train they were waiting on was due any moment. He rolled his shoulders a little and willed himself to take a deep breath. He had more important things to worry about than his brother being an ass. And the last thing he needed was his wings appearing when they shouldn't.

Right on cue he heard a whistle blow, and looked up to squint at the horizon at the same moment the station went berserk with flashing lights and clanging to let everyone know the train was inbound.

He slid nimbly off the roof he'd been perched on and moved around back to join his brothers and sister where they were waiting with the horses.

"Train's just about here." He reported, "No sign of Cobra."

Gajeel huffed in irritation while Wendy's face pinched a little in worry, "Damnit. We ain't got time for this."

"Bet he's got a pair of lady's bloomers tied around his head," Sting crowed with laughter until his twin jammed an elbow into his side and it morphed into a growl.

The tallest and broadest of them merely sighed, lifting his blond head towards the train, "What a pain. Alright Natsu. The trap is set for the distance, right?"

The pink haired man made a noise of offense, his slanted eyes dark as he raised an eyebrow at his eldest brother, "You got that right Laxus, as if I'd pass up the opportunity to blow anything up."

He popped another fireball into his mouth, rolling the spicy treat over his tongue as he walked over towards his blue roan steed. He ran a hand along its flank, "You ready Happy?"

The horse snorted as if sarcastically in response. Natsu grinned and patted him again, more than used to his horse's antics by now.

He swung easily into the saddle, breathing a small sigh of relief as his stomach didn't lurch. He knew he should be used to it by now. He never got sick on Happy any more than he had Happy's sire, or any of the other horses for that matter. It was the one mode of transportation they could rely on while in public. A fact that never ceased to amaze him despite how often it had been proven true.

"Alright runts." Laxus growled, "We should still be able to do this without Cobra without any problems. You know the drill. Strike hard and fast. There's enough gold and other metal on that train to feed Gajeel for a month."

He glanced pointedly at Natsu, "Try not to take any stupid chances, but if you get a chance for anything else we can use take it."

Natsu snorted, and shot his brother a scowl, "I wasn't the one who fried the engine last time ya know."

"No. You were the one who blew out the side of a car because it rocked a little."

Laxus glanced at Wendy, ignoring Natsu's growling with the ease of long practice, "Sis, you hang back in case something goes pear shaped."

Wendy huffed a little, but nodded. She knew her brothers weren't trying to wrap her in wool cloth or anything. She'd grown up every bit as deadly as they had. However, as the only sky dragon in their nest, and the only queen, they tended to be wary about her not fighting more than necessary.

It was slightly aggravating, but she tolerated it for the bigger and riskier jobs like this one.

"I'll keep an eye out for Cobra in case he decides to show up," She swept her long hair behind her shoulders and pressed her hat further down to shield her eyes from the sun, "Remember fellas, high noon. Don't be late."

"And keep a lady like you waitin' sis?" Gajeel tipped his hat towards her, a roguish smile lighting his face, "Wouldn't be in our best interest, now would it?"

"No it wouldn't," Wendy replied with an air of smugness.

Natsu spun Happy in a tight, controlled circle, his hand twisting around the reins. He smirked at his brothers and sister before he jammed his hat further down over his distinctive rosy spikes and pulled up his oddly patterned handkerchief over his nose and mouth.

It was a gift from their father. From Igneel, back when the dragon had been flesh and blood, born of fire before he became a part of Draco. It was Natsu's most cherished possession besides...

He touched a spot under his collarbone for luck, fingers brushing against warm, smooth metal.

He hoped their luck would hold out for this job as it had for every other one before. Family was the most important thing to Natsu.

All of this was done for family after all.

"Come on Slayers!" He crowed out, "Let's go rob a train!"

There was an answering roar of sound from the others as their mounts leapt forward eagerly, seeming as excited as they were.

They had, of course, waited for the train to pull out of the station and get a good distance from town before heading out. It was fortunate that the loading and unloading took time or Natsu never would've been able to make it to the others in time.

By now though it had built up a good pace, and despite their head start it quickly started to outstrip their horses. A fact that was both annoying and entirely expected.

Fortunately, it didn't matter.

Natsu smirked as the train barreled towards the little surprise he'd set up and mentally counted off the time.

Right on schedule there was a boom that was muffled only by distance and resulted in a rather spectacular explosion of rocks and debris right by the tracks. An explosion the conductor had not missed, and all the Slayers winced as the emergency brakes squealed and screamed in their ears.

"Timin' it close weren't you brat?" Gajeel called over the sound.

Natsu just smirked under his bandana, "Not as long as the conductor isn't stupid!"

And he was grateful for that. A stopped train was one thing. A train off the tracks was something else entirely. Something that generally involved rune knight or army investigations instead of some irritated passengers and a clean robbery.

"Alright it's stopped!" Laxus shouted, "Let's get on this thing!"

The slayers worked in tandem, long practiced in the art of hopping onto trains and getting them still long enough to rob 'em and go. Though Gajeel still dealt with the conductor to make sure he didn't get any funny ideas about moving their target while they were still onboard.

Natsu blasted his way through the back carriage's windows, Happy peeling off obediently. Natsu's boots smashed easily through the glass as he rolled and landed in the carriage.

He was up in a flash, two pistols drawn. He put the term 'guns blazing' to good use, as his weapons were literally on fire.

It was showy and imposing, making anyone who even thought about reaching for a weapon reconsider it in a heartbeat. Natsu's lips twisted into a smirk as the passengers eyed his weapon and the scarf tied around his face.

" _Salamander._ " They whispered amongst themselves.

"So here is how this is gonna work!" He roared out for their attention, loosening a burlap sack he had tied into his belt, "All your gold and silver, drop it in these bags right here!"

He dropped it between the aisles, his eyes sharp for any sense of bravery from those he was robbing.

"No one needs to be a hero," He sneered, "You get your lives, we get the gold. Seems like a fair enough trade off to me!"

The passengers shuffled nervously, clearly reluctant to part with their money and other valuables, but Natsu's weapons frightened them more and slowly, one by one, they began to drop items into his sack.

Natsu smirked behind his mask as he worked his way down the line. No doubt these folks were terrified of the big bad bandit, but he didn't particularly care. This train catered only to the wealthy and their cargo. This group had probably never done a hard day's labor in their lives. They were soft, and weak, and as such easily cowed.

There would be no remorse from him today.

He worked his way carefully up the train, only needing to actually squash faint signs of rebellion a couple times, until he got to the conductor's car.

"Finished runt?" Gajeel growled, smirking a bit as the terrified conductor tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

Natsu smirked back and nodded, "Spineless cowards. All of them." He hefted the bag appreciatively, "Good haul though. These rich types keep all kinds of stuff on them."

Some of which they may actually keep.

The merging of magic and technology had become a lot more prevalent in recent years, and all kinds of interesting devices were starting to crop up. Guns that fired magic instead of bullets, magic powered clockwork...

There were even stories about massive magical clockwork balloons that carried people through the air, and horseless carriages, and other such fantastic wonders in the larger cities. Natsu wasn't sure just how much he believed that sort of thing, but there was no denying that some of the things they'd been finding lately were pretty interesting.

"Good, the Twins are coming up with the horses and Laxus is in the caboose, it's time we get off this tin can," Gajeel grunted.

Reaching out he snagged one of the bags from Natsu, hefting it over his shoulder. They shot the conductor dark smirks before they jumped off, right onto the backs of their waiting horses.

He shrank away from them, even after they were on the other side of the window, painfully aware of who had just robbed his train. And their reputation. There was only one group of strange bandits which roamed the deserts, possessing a strange kind of magic no one had seen before after all. And he would consider it a miracle if he got away from this without any more trouble.

Natsu smirked behind his scarf, tipping his hat to the train before they rode off, making a clean getaway with their spoils.

They would make their way back into town, collect Wendy and Cobra and divvy up what they could.

* * *

Erik repressed the urge to growl in satisfaction as he woke from the light nap he'd fallen into after his entirely pleasant time with the woman he was currently in bed with.

Of course, the woman herself wasn't what had him so satisfied. Granted the physical activity had been nice, but what had him nearly ready to cackle in delight was the information she'd possessed. He knew his brothers and sister would be pissed he'd missed the robbery, but he suspected this would more than make up for it.

He stretched a little and slithered out of bed, being careful not to disturb his sleeping companion. He might not give much of a damn about anyone outside the nest, particularly humans, but he'd learned very quickly that a little consideration went a very long way, and that often made life much easier the next time he needed them.

It didn't hurt that the woman had been a particularly enthusiastic lover, and not at all caring that he was an outlaw.

He smirked as he finished getting dressed and tucked a good tip into her clothes before slipping out. She'd certainly earned it.

He didn't even hesitate as he headed down the stairs and sauntered out of the saloon. Though he did keep an eye out for the local law enforcement in case they decided to be all righteous and noble or some such. He wasn't particularly intimidated by them, but it would be a hassle to deal with and probably kill his good mood.

Thankfully it was easy to slip by them without being noticed, and he walked casually towards the meetup point. He could already hear Natsu cackling about how much he'd scared the sheeple and Laxus growling at him for crowing so much. The train robbery went well then. Good. It would help mollify his brothers.

He grinned at his horse as he untied her and swung into the saddle, "C'mon Cubelios. Let's catch up with the others."

She snorted and tossed her head in response and headed off almost without him having to guide her.

He sometimes wondered if their horses were just really intelligent, or if they had a touch of magic thanks to exposure to the nest. They were certainly smarter than average.

It was an intriguing thought, but he shoved it out of his mind as they caught up to the others.

"Where the hell have you been?" Natsu growled irately as soon as he came into view, "We had to do the job without you!"

"Sorry." He purred, not looking particularly apologetic, "I got held up by the most _fascinating_ information."

"And what information is that?" Laxus rumbled, a faint warning in his voice there would be hell to pay if it hadn't been damned good information.

Erik smirked, "It seems Lady Lucy Heartfilia, celestial wizard and heir to the Heartfilia Concern, has joined a guild."

That brought them all up short. They exchanged looks that brimmed with curiosity. Even Natsu had closed his big mouth to stare in surprise.

"Big deal!" Sting finally snorted after falling quiet for a while, "We've been trying to find a good way to get to Heartfilia forever! She's got way too many eyes on her at her estate, and she's gonna have just as many on her at the guild!"

The others all seemed to deflate at the news, but Erik wasn't deterred. He slid in between his twin brothers and set a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Maybe so. It's hard to hit a big target like a guild to rob, but I never said we'd have to," he purred, a languid smile stretching over his face.

"Then what're you talking about, get to the point," Laxus demanded. His voice was clipped and short, but there was no denying the interest he tried to hide.

Rolling his head back, Erik shoved himself off Sting and Rogue's shoulders so he could position himself in front of their eldest brother. His finger curled around the brim of his hat, tipping it down. The action did nothing to hide the way his smile spread wide over his face.

"Why did I fail to mention Ms. Heartfilia is cutting through this very town on her way back from visitin' her papa?"

"A small wagon passing through is a hell of a lot easier of a target to hit than a guild crammed full of wizards," Gajeel grunted, already warming to the idea Erik was hinting at.

"But she's a celestial wizard," Wendy warned, "There's no telling how many spirits she has. It may not be just her in that carriage."

Erik nodded, allowing the sense that Lady Heartfilia wouldn't just let them tamely steal her keys to curb their enthusiasm.

"So we'll send in our wrecking ball first to disorient her real good," Erik drawled, his eyes flashing to Natsu, "D'ya think Salamander is up for a bit of spiritual brawlin' and showboating?"

Natsu grinned fiercely, a look of wicked anticipation crossing his face, "Hell yeah!" He rumbled eagerly, excited both at the prospect of a good fight _and_ taking Heartfilia's keys off her, "By the time I'm done with her she'll be beggin' us to take her keys. And then we'll be that much closer to finding out what happened to dad!"

The mood sobered a little at the mention of their father, but Natsu couldn't bring himself to apologize for it. He fully believed they would find out what had happened to their father and get him back. There was just no way they could do anything else. Any other option was unthinkable.

"Do you think we can?" Wendy asked uncertainly, and Natsu felt a trickle of guilt thread through him.

"Of course we can!" He exclaimed confidently, "We'll get to the celestial realm and find out what happened to dad for sure! And nothing's gonna stop us from getting him back!"

He believed that. He truly did. Despite the fact their father had been missing for seven years he still believed they would find him. It was nearly impossible to kill a celestial spirit after all, especially one as powerful as their father.

His grin widened when Wendy smiled back at him and nodded. Of all of them she was perhaps the one that missed Draco the most, and remembered him the least. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Don't worry Wendy. We'll get this. I promise."

He smiled when his sister relaxed against him. She was a gentle soul born from the star of Grandine, and more than anything he wanted her to meet their father again. He'd vowed to himself that she would one day. Whatever it took. Because there was no doubt something major had happened to Draco. Admittedly, sometimes their father would be gone for great stretches of time, but never as long as he had now when they were looking for him.

More worryingly however, was when they looked up at the sky to find his constellation, and they saw nothing in the inky darkness.

There was no burning point of Igneel in the cluster of stars Natsu could pick out from anywhere he stood. No matter where he went, he could always find Igneel.

But one day he had been gone.

His siblings found they had the same problem. Metalicana, Grandine, Skiadrum, and Weissolgia. All the points in their father's constellation, the spirit of their family, all gone.

They needed answers. Where had the king of the Eastern Zodiac gone to? They needed the answers for themselves - and to get those answers, they needed the twelve celestial keys and as many silver keys as they could get their hands on.

He had to get all the keys. And Natsu vowed he would. For his family, there was no obstacle large enough he couldn't overcome.

Laxus cleared his throat, catching their attention and pulling Natsu up short.

"Alright then," He rumbled, folding his large arms over his powerful chest, "What else did this Jane tell ya Cobra?"

"Gave me the route she's takin' and the time," He smirked back at the surly blond.

"And the information is good?" Gajeel grunted beside him, ever the cold reasoning between the slayers.

Erik just leaned his head back to smile at his brother.

"Trust me, I vetted her," His smirk seemed to widen over his face, " _Thoroughly_."

* * *

 **And there we have it! Following with tradition, for everyone coming out to show their love in their reviews, we have a sneak peak for the next chapter! See you guys next Sunday! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed! Please let us know what you thought!**

 _"That wasn't the brightest move you could've made." Her attacker teased, and Lucy smirked back._

 _"Actually, it was the best move I could've made." She countered and slashed a different key through the air, "Open! Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!"_

 _The large bull appeared where Loke had been a moment ago and Lucy grinned wickedly at her would be robber, "Taurus! Stardress!"_


	3. On the Prod

**To everyone who called Erik a manwhore, ya'll are the real MVPS. Enjoy the chapter. - Mslead**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3**

 **On the Prod**

 _Full of piss and vinegar, looking for trouble, spoiling for a fight._

* * *

Lucy sighed a little as she shifted in her seat and tried to get a little more comfortable. It was a nice carriage, fitted with all the latest comforts thanks to her father, but sitting for long periods of time made even the plushest cushion start to feel like a wooden board.

It didn't help either that she was starting to get uncomfortable with how parts of her dress kept pressing into her every time she moved. She knew it was her own fault, but given the choice between awkward clothing and shifting around a little because of her butt going numb, she was going to shift every time. She just couldn't help it.

It made her wish that she didn't have to suffer quite so much for the sake of fashion, and part of her grumble a little about why she had to put up with this at all.

There was nothing she could do about it now though.

Even if she'd thought about dressing the way some of her guildmates did, which of course she hadn't, her father expected a certain level of sophistication when she visited him. And that meant the whole rig out. Corset, petticoat, overcoat, bustle, dress... the works.

That didn't stop a small, rebellious, part of her from wondering how comfortable something else might be though.

She pushed the thought out of her mind as fast as it came up to glance warily out the window. Despite the accoutrements of wealth she was no delicate, innocent, snowflake. She knew very well this stretch of the trip was the most dangerous due to the outlaw bandits that roamed the area. She would be fortunate if she made it through with nothing happening.

Nothing _should_ happen either. Her father had been careful to make certain as few people knew her actual route as possible. A bit overprotective perhaps, but she still appreciated the gesture. Regardless of her chosen career, a controversial one if ever there was one, she still the Heartfilia heiress, and the odds of someone trying to kidnap her were fairly high if they weren't careful.

Deciding it might be better to have a bit of company, just in case, she pulled out a key and slashed it through the air, "Open! Gate of the Lion! Loke!"

She smiled a bit at the golden glow that formed across from her and a little more at the spirit that appeared sitting down as calmly as if he'd been there the whole time.

"You called princess?" He purred, a knowing look flashing in his eyes.

"We're getting into outlaw territory." She explained, "I thought it would be better to have two sets of eyes here instead of one. I hope you don't mind?"

Loke smirked, "Of course not Lucy. I'm more than happy to spend time in _your_ company."

Lucy rolled her eyes a little at his flirtatious tone. Typical Loke. Though that didn't stop her from letting her eyes roam over his form critically. He'd been badly injured on her last job, and though she'd sensed he was fine now it made her feel better to see that for herself.

Loke seemed to understand what she was doing, but thankfully said nothing about her critical gaze. Honestly, she thought he was probably enjoying it.

After all, Loke was definitely a fan of beautiful women.

More importantly though, Loke was a dear friend of hers, and she would certainly enjoy his company on the trip back. Aside from the coach driver, she was by herself. It was a little lonely, and she was always happy to have a friend with her despite the strain of having a golden key spirit could have on her magic.

She was strong enough to keep Loke here comfortably without any issues for quite a while though, so she wasn't too concerned. Especially if trouble _did_ show up.

Luckily for Lucy, it seemed as if the fates had decided to smile on her for at least a portion of the trip. The sun was well into the horizon and Magnolia was just on the horizon when they were forced to stop.

There were thick canyons all around them they had to pass through to even get to Magnolia, and that was where they had to travel through. It was tricky to maneuver with a horse much less a coach. A single wrong move could cause a wheel to snap. And at the loud cracking noise that echoed through the canyon, Lucy knew with a sinking feeling that was precisely what must have happened.

"Oh that can't be good." She muttered with a grimace as the driver settled the nervous horses before more damage could be done.

"I'll take a look at the damage miss." He called down to her, "Please remain in the carriage for now."

Lucy frowned slightly at that order, but didn't contradict the man. No doubt he was used to women who would be more in the way than anything in a situation like this, and she couldn't say for sure she would be able to help anyway. There was a chance Virgo might be able to help rig something if the wheel really was in bad shape, but she didn't know that for sure.

Better to remain out of the way and let the man who knew what he was doing take a look at it first.

At least for now.

"Spokes are broken ma'am!" He called from outside, "But the axle ain't! Gonna see if I can patch it up enough to get us to town!"

"Very well!" She called back, "Let me know if I or my spirits can help any!"

The driver didn't answer, which had her frowning again. The man hadn't been unfriendly during the trip, open to making conversation even if he was very careful to keep his distance from her for propriety's sake, so she was surprised when he didn't respond with any kind of comment.

She glanced at Loke, who was also frowning, and her instinct that something was wrong went through the roof. She subtly tensed and curled her fingers around the celestial whip Virgo had given her with a tense nod at her spirit.

He nodded back and immediately she felt his power connect to hers and flow over her into his stardress form. Just in time too as there was an unfamiliar boot crunch just outside. She glanced at Loke again and this time her spirit had a dark scowl on his face as he moved to the center of the carriage in readiness.

The door blew open in a gust of flame, shooting Loke straight out the side of the coach from one end to the other and causing the spirit to topple out sideways.

Lucy jolted in surprise at the suddenness of the attack and struggled up to her feet in the cramped confines of the wagon.

"Pick a spirit that lights up less like a drunk in a bar ma'am," a rough voice laughed before the entire coach seemed to tip on its side and Lucy went shrieking back as it was turned over.

She groaned, hearing Loke swearing nearby. Heavy boots dropped down onto the side of the coach and a shadowed figure crouched down in the opening he blasted open.

A bandit, face obscured by a bandanna tied around his jaw, seemed to smile at her from his eyes. He squatted down on the side of the turned over carriage, head cocked at Lucy.

"Ya look a little uncomfortable down there ma'am, why don't you toss up those neat lookin' keys by your side and we can talk about gettin' you out of that nasty position, huh?" he asked, looking quite pleased with himself.

It was rapidly growing dark by the minute, and Lucy had to squint to keep an eye on the man who looked like he was unaffected by the darkness. Still, a bandit after her keys wasn't anything she could tolerate.

"I don't know sir, you look like a nice man, but my keys are awfully important to me," Lucy batted her eyelashes up at him, trying to look as meek and defenseless as possible. It seemed to work by the way the man's shoulders seem to slacken, "But if you want them..."

She lashed out with her whip, the tail of it catching the man around the throat. Heaving backwards with some difficulty, especially since she wasn't wearing her proper stardress, she dragged the surprised bandit headfirst into her coach.

"Come and get them!"

The man faceplanted head first into the ground, but she knew not to stay in close quarters with him. After all he had kicked Loke straight out of the carriage before tipping the entire thing on its side. Either he was insanely strong, or he was a mage. Perhaps even both.

She scrambled out the top of the carriage, gathering her dress up around her knees and looking around, "Loke!"

"I'm fine Lucy!" Loke grunted as he picked himself up with a growl at the re-emerging bandit, grimacing as he grabbed his shoulder.

"You are not!" Lucy snapped back, not missing the motion as she rushed to his side, "And you just recovered from another injury!"

"What are you going to do?" Loke asked over his shoulder, though he didn't take his eyes off their attacker.

Lucy frowned as Natsu stalked closer, clearly not happy about the surprise attack she'd landed on him, "Head back." She told her spirit, "I need a different stardress to deal with this jerk."

Loke's eyes widened a fraction and he glanced at her before a look of understanding crossed his face, "You got it beautiful."

He would, of course, come rushing back under his own power if need be, but there was no sense in letting the bandit know that. Instead he dissolved in a shower of gold sparkles back to the celestial realm, apparently leaving Lucy all alone.

"That wasn't the brightest move you could've made." Her attacker teased, and Lucy smirked back.

"Actually, it was the _best_ move I could've made." She countered and slashed a different key through the air, "Open! Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!"

The large bull appeared where Loke had been a moment ago and Lucy grinned wickedly at her would be robber, "Taurus! Stardress!"

"You got it Miss Luuucy!" Taurus mooed as the dress formed over her, "And may I say you're looking extra beautiful today! How's about giving me a smooooch?"

Natsu's eyes narrowed at the way both those spirits had been acting. It wasn't unusual for humans to take advantage of the spirits they were gifted with. Which was why they had no problem stealing them from undeserving humans, but the ones this woman had summoned so far seemed genuinely invested in helping her.

Not that they gave hints otherwise anyway but he was getting a distinctly different vibe off this lady.

Not that it mattered. He needed her keys, and he wasn't leaving without them. Once all the light was gone, the rest of his nest would descend down and overwhelm this mage by sheer numbers if they had to.

"Taurus, huh?" Natsu asked, getting his first good look at the spirit. His father had told them all sorts of stories about the spirits he was friends with.

"Funny, pops never mentioned how weird lookin' these guys could be," Natsu said.

Smiling at the woman, now dressed in cow print, Natsu drew his fists to either side of him, "Pretty brave for high class, aren't ya ma'am?"

"Well you're pretty stupid even for a bandit," Lucy shot back at him, snapping her whip between her hands and crouching down, ready for him.

She wasn't expecting the bark of laughter which came from him, muffled by the bandanna around his mouth.

"Now that's just plain rude," he spread his hands by his side. Lucy noticed he completely ignored the mean looking pistols by his side, instead his fingers curling into fists.

And then she watched with horror and amazement as his very fists rose into flames.

His magic was unhindered, unchanneled. It was rare active magic, even moreso than the odd mixture that some of her guildmates used. This was raw magic that channeled through his _body_. It was the kind that her spirits used.

She had never seen magic like that before.

And suddenly she realized who she was facing. He was infamous for his destruction. Him, among the seven of his band. Salamander of the Slayers. A bandit that targeted the rich.

"Careful Miss Lucy." Taurus rumbled, his eyes narrowed and unusually focused, "This is one of Draco's children."

"Draco?" Lucy asked, wondering what other bad news there could possibly be on top of this guy being Salamander and part of a seven man gang.

"Draco the Dragon." Taurus explained, "The leader of the Eastern Zodiac."

"Eastern Zodiac?" Lucy asked, her eyes widening a such a concept, and Taurus nodded.

"Draco's like Leo. He can open gates on his own to travel to the human realm." He tracked Natsu's movements warily, "He's been known to fall in love with human women from time to time. I didn't know he had any living children though."

Lucy's mind raced at the implications. That spirits could have half celestial children with humans. That certainly explained a lot about her opponent and his magic. Of course, it raised more questions than answers, and now was most definitely not the time to be asking them.

"Alright." She replied, "Suggestions beyond attack from a distance?"

Taurus didn't get the chance to answer as Natsu chose that moment to rush an attack. He'd been shocked at the information Taurus had so casually shared with his holder. He'd never heard of any spirit doing that. Of course, that shock was nothing compared to her _asking_ for advice on dealing with him, and he didn't want to risk Taurus knowing something that would help her out.

However, despite his intention, Lucy wasn't phased by his sudden attack at all. Instead she leapt lightly into the air and cracked her whip down sharply, "Earth wave!"

Natsu gaped a bit at how the earth seemed to move, his arm throwing up to shield his body from the spray of rocks that her attack had caused.

"Not bad, although it's a shock to see a lady getting down in the dirt," Natsu bounced instead towards Taurus. He dug a heel into the hard earth and kicked his leg up an arch of burning fire exploding from him.

Taurus let out a loud moo of protest, even as Natsu grabbed him by one of his straps, "Sorry pal. Roughin' up spirits ain't my style, but you're in the way!"

He used another jet of fire to flip him over, taking Taurus with him and narrowly avoiding another lash with Lucy's whip.

"Leave him alone!" She snarled over at Natsu, who whistled over how near his miss had been.

"Mighty feisty aint cha?" He laughed, body twisting around to spring away from Taurus and his axe once he recovered.

"You know this all goes away if ya just hand over those keys," Natsu shot back at Lucy, "Quit being so stubborn, you can always pick up a new brand of magic!"

"I'm not handing over my keys!" Lucy snarled, furious at even the suggestion, "These spirits are my friends! They're part of my family! I'd sooner die than let you get your filthy hands on them!"

Natsu stared at her in shock as Taurus smirked smugly at her words, clearly ready to fight with everything he had for the mistress that cared for them so much.

"You would... what?" He asked, unable to believe his ears.

"You heard me jerk!" Lucy snapped, "You and your gang aren't going to touch my keys!"

Natsu gaped at her, only barely able to move as she launched another attack at him. Her words didn't make sense. Why did she care so much about them? He'd never heard of a celestial wizard that gave a damn about their spirits before. What the hell made her so different?

He didn't know, but ultimately it didn't matter. They needed those keys to find their father, and that was all there was to it. No matter what her attachment to them was _she_ could still always learn new magic. _They_ couldn't get a new father.

He firmly ignored the small part of him that wriggled a little in guilt. It wasn't like he was breaking up her nest or anything. Not that she would even know what a nest was.

Except, that small part reminded him, that was exactly what it sounded like her keys were to her.

Natsu growled lowly, at both her and his stupid, unwelcome, inner voice. He didn't have time for this! It was nearly full dark, and he hadn't so much as scratched her yet, let alone overwhelmed her. He leapt into the air, fire trailing in a blaze around him, "Fire dragon wing attack!"

Natsu flung himself at Taurus, knowing he was better off at least eliminating a target so they wouldn't flank him. He tore through the spirit, his eyes slanting angrily over at Lucy when Taurus exploded in a shower of sparks and a moo of apology.

"Taurus!" Lucy shouted at him, jumping back a bit when Natsu was on her, turning his full attention back to her.

"Not enough time to summon another spirit, is there?" He smirked at her. She may have had a lot of strength thanks to her stardress, but something told him by the way she relied on her whip, close combat didn't suit her well beyond the basics of punching and kicking. Which was a shame, because it suited him just fine.

Sure enough, Lucy tried to get some distance between them, but he made sure to stay glued to her wherever she went. And every time she reached for her keys to summon a new spirit, he sent another jet of fire at her.

He could outlast her, but that wasn't even the real issue here. She kept dodging him, even if her endurance was starting to wane. But the sun was gone now, leaving them in pitch darkness.

Where was the rest of his nest?

Frustrated at their lack of appearance, and unable to shake the feeling something was wrong, Natsu sped up his attacks.

He'd just have to take the celestial wizard's keys on his own then.

Just as he was starting to get _really_ annoyed with the game of cat and mouse they were playing, one of his claws managed to swipe a neat path of fire underneath the rocks Lucy was standing on.

She fell down in a heap, her balance off as he descended on her.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" He roared out. His fist came down where Lucy's head was, smashing into boulder with ease. At the last second, Lucy rolled away, lashing out with her heel to slam a boot right into his midsection.

Natsu grunted in surprise, and not a little pain, as he discovered that whatever else Heartfilia may or may not have going for her she had one hell of a mean kick. It wasn't enough to send him flying, not from that angle, but it was more than enough to make him pause long enough for her to get some space between them at last.

He growled as he watched her scramble to her feet, panting heavily from their chase, and lunged for her before she could get further than an arm's length away from him. However, no sooner had he reached out to snag her wrist than a bright light shone briefly behind him. Glancing back to see if maybe it was his dumbass brother after all he couldn't help yelping in alarm at the glimpse of Loke glaring at him before his vision was filled with a glowing fist.

He grunted in pain at the impact and felt himself go flying into the wall of the canyon. The double impact wasn't quite enough to knock him out, but his ears were definitely ringing and he could only watch groggily as Lucy and the spirit that had somehow reappeared ran over to him.

"I brought some rope from Virgo." Loke said as he knelt, "Grab a board for us to tie him up and give me a hand."

"Right." Lucy replied, more than a little confused over the request, but happy to comply if it meant ending the fight. She trotted over to the coach, where the driver had been hiding while the two mages battled it out.

"Are you alright?" She asked in concern, and he nodded.

"Yes ma'am. Thank you ma'am."

Lucy smiled briefly, "Alright, I need a board or something to strap that guy to..." She mused as she looked around and grabbed what had once been the coach door, "Can you still get that wheel fixed?"

"Enough to get us there, yes ma'am." The man replied and scurried over to the coach to get to work while Lucy carried the door over to Loke.

"Here you go." She said as she dropped it next to Salamander, "Why do we need it?"

Loke smirked, "I know the old dragon that's his father." He replied, "His children tend to inherit the traits of the stars that make up his constellation." He glanced at her while he worked, "They're the essence of the most powerful dragons to ever live."

He looked back at Natsu and smirked, "Luckily for us, that includes their biggest weakness."

Lucy watched as the driver struggled to tip the coach back onto its side. She was just hoping Salamander hadn't done any additional damage to it in his initial attack.

"Weakness?" she asked, flashing her eyes back to Loke, and where he had shifted the dazed bandit onto the door.

"Just watch," Loke smirked at Lucy, beginning to drag the door a few inches.

And in that span of time, Salamander's weak struggles all but stopped. Lucy watched his chest stutter, breath heaving in his lungs and then seizing.

It was as if all the air had rushed from his lungs at once, his muscles growing lax as Loke dragged Salamander on top of the board.

Loke stopped just long enough to tie Salamander securely to the board before he continued again. He reached down and yanked the handkerchief from the man's mouth, exposing his face to Lucy.

"You're going to want to hang onto that," Loke passed it to her, just as Salamander's entire chest heaved and he vomited the contents of his stomach.

"Ew!" Lucy shrieked, picking up her feet to dance away from the puddle left by the groaning bandit, "What's wrong with him?"

Loke smirked, "Motion sickness. The Slayer's one weakness."

He nudged Natsu with the toe of his boot, "It may be a little rough heading back to Magnolia with this guy's interruption, but you're going to have a nice bounty to collect on when you turn him in."

Lucy smirked back at her spirit, "At least there's that." She agreed, "Though I'd really like to know what he wanted my keys for. It's not like _he_ can use them." She paused, "Can he?"

Loke hummed slightly in thought, "Not the way you do no." He replied slowly as they headed back to the carriage to help, "But it's possible that if they were to gather enough keys together in one place they might have enough power to form a temporary gate to the celestial realm."

Lucy blinked, "But what could they possibly want in the celestial realm?"

Loke shrugged, a small frown tugging at his lips, "That's a good question." He admitted, "Draco's been very quiet for a while, but that's not unusual for him. Dragons are somewhat reclusive outside of their chosen friends and family. I'll try to ask around when I head back."

Lucy nodded, not missing the subtext that Loke intended to stay until they got back to Fairy Tail. She honestly appreciated the gesture. After keeping him out on her own power for so long, and fighting, her magic power was running on low.

Thankfully, once they got the carriage turned back over they were able to get underway fairly quickly. And not a moment too soon by Lucy's reckoning. She had no idea if Salamander's brothers and sister were nearby, but she had no desire to linger and find out. It felt like something of a miracle they hadn't attacked before now. So they loaded the pitifully groaning bandit up and headed out as fast as they could.

She couldn't quite shake the feeling as they did that there was much more going on than met the eye. Unfortunately, it wasn't likely Salamander would share, so it was a mystery she would probably have to let go.

* * *

 _ **Alright everyone! Here is your sneak peak for the next chapter as a gift for knocking on that review limit! Thanks again to everyone who left us a review! I can't begin to tell you guys how much a motivation you all are! See ya next Sunday!** _

* * *

_"Humans aren't worthy to command the stars. Those keys don't belong to you," he growled cutting._

 _Lucy's eyes narrowed a little, "I don't command anyone." She snapped back, "The contracts I hold were created freely. I didn't force them on my spirits. They're my friends and they made that choice themselves. They had the right to refuse then, and if they wanted it I would release their contracts."_

 _There was a flare of light from her keys at her words, and Lucy automatically curled her hand around them protectively, "I know you don't." She murmured to them, "I'm just trying to explain..."_


	4. Skungle

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Sorry for the delay in updating! In case some of you didn't know this, Florida was hit by a hurricane. So one of the writers for this fic, Kytrin had to go run away from it. It's been a confusing weekend, but Kytrin is okay, just without internet!**

 **Anyway, thank you again for your patience, and here is your regularly scheduled chapter.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4**

 **Skungle**

 _To disappear, make gone._

* * *

While Natsu was busy trying to play cat and mouse with Lady Heartfilia, the Slayers lying in wait on the cliffside had hit a storm of trouble.

Gajeel snarled as he held off the scythe of a demon baring down on him, poisonous particles floating in the air and trying to fill his lungs.

He had come out of nowhere, sent by Draco only knew who. The Slayers had been ambushed in the middle of _**their**_ ambush, which was more than enough to seriously piss him off. Down below he caught glimpses of Natsu's flashes of fire as he battled against their target, but he couldn't do anything about that, and he couldn't keep track of the rest of his family for long either. The mysterious skull faced bastard in front of him demanded all his attention.

How long he fought he couldn't have said. It felt like an eternity or longer, but the passage of time had only been marked by his increasing exhaustion.

It was full dark by the time he delivered his final blow, the stars above thick and bright as they twinkled down on the combatants, but he hardly noticed. He didn't dare take his eyes off the demon for even a moment, and even if he'd dared he couldn't have. It was all he could do to stand there and watch, panting heavily, clothing torn, and wounded, as he waited to see if his last attack had done any good.

It hadn't.

He groaned as the shadowy lump of demon started to pick himself back up.

"You gotta be kiddin' me." He grumbled as he tried to dredge up just a little more strength, a little more energy, to try and deal with the bastard one last time.

There wasn't any though. He was tapped out. He'd already chewed through all the metal he kept on hand, and without a source of metal to replenish himself, something that was rare on a good day, he had no more left to give.

He glowered at the demon as he waited for the killing blow. Even if he was going to die here today, he was not going to give the bastard the satisfaction of seeing him go down as anything other than defiant. At least he'd gotten some good shots in. His opponent didn't look much better off than he was.

The demon, however, had other plans. He took one hard look at Gajeel and smirked before suddenly calling up a funnel and vanishing.

Confused, Gajeel looked around, wary of some trick, but there was no sign of the bastard. Nor could any of his senses pick up anything. Just what was going on here? Surely a bunch of demons hadn't shown up just to keep them from robbing Heartfilia? The very idea seemed ludicrous, but it was all he could think of in his exhausted state.

He shook his head a little, and took a wobbling step forward, with the vague idea of finding out if the rest of the nest was alright, only to immediately topple over. He groaned as his various wounds screamed at him from the impact, and tried to force himself to move a little more, but his body would not obey him.

His vision swam confusingly as things started to get darker, and he frowned as he thought he heard the sound of a strange vibrating in the air. He didn't get to investigate though as darkness completely overtook him and he passed into oblivion.

Though, for a second before he passed out, he could've sworn he'd caught a glimpse of a shadowed wing silhouetted against the night sky and the faint sound of a soothing growl.

He came to with a start, blinking groggily up at Wendy's tearstained face as she inspected him for injuries. All thoughts of things he'd probably imagined earlier flew from his head as he took in his sister's state and her healing magic swept soothingly over him.

"Gajeel!" She cried out in relief once she saw he was awake, "You're okay!"

He groaned in response, body aching in places he didn't even know could hurt, and unable to come up with anything more coherent for the moment.

"In a matter of speaking," He mumbled after a few minutes, pushing himself up with Wendy doing her best to support his weight.

"Where is everyone?" He asked.

"I didn't see them." She replied, fresh tears running down her cheeks, "You're the first one I've found." She sniffed a little, "I think they were taken."

Gajeel sucked in a breath and swore. That was not good. And, of course, Natsu wouldn't have noticed and broken off his attack with Heartfilia to help. They'd deliberately set up the ambush to allow them as much concealment as possible. It would've taken a massive attack to catch Natsu's attention while he was dealing with his own fight.

"Alright." He grunted, "Let's go find the runt. We're gonna need his help to find out what happened to the others."

He was pissed that everything had gone pear shaped, and silently vowed that he would make the bastards who attacked them pay very dearly for it.

Unfortunately, by the time they got back to the ambush point it was clear that their brother had also managed to lose _his_ fight as well.

"Damnit runt!" Gajeel shouted in frustration, "How the hell did you lose to a prissy little princess like Heartfilia?" He growled as he pulled away from Wendy and stomped over to where the carriage had been to confirm they'd moved on to Magnolia.

The tracks told him immediately they weren't moving fast or well, but that hardly made a difference at this point since neither he nor Wendy were either.

"What do we do now?" Wendy asked anxiously and Gajeel snorted.

"Ain't it obvious?" He asked her, "We head after him. Unlike the others, we _know_ where Salamander will be. We'll just spring him from wherever they're holdin' him and then go after the rest of the nest." He looked up at her intently, "They ain't gonna get away with this. Whoever they are. I promise you that."

Wendy sniffed and rubbed at her eyes, "Alright Gajeel. Hopefully Carla and Lily haven't wandered off too far. We're going to need them if we have any chance of catching up."

Gajeel nodded and thumped his little sister lightly on the back. She was still the youngest out of all of them and even though she was all grown up now, that didn't mean he wouldn't fuss over her like the older brother he was. Especially now that they were all split up.

And hell, he knew for a fact that Erik and Laxus wouldn't have gone down without a fight either. So that meant they were in some pretty bad shape.

Whoever had taken them must have been at least as powerful as his opponent had been.

"Alright Wendy, you go look for the horses. I'll go find Salamander's trail. Hang tight," He grunted.

Wendy nodded, and as the two of them split off, Gajeel couldn't help but wonder what else was waiting for them.

-::-

Back in Magnolia, Natsu stirred from within the tiny wooden cell he was trapped in.

He groaned, stomach churning uncomfortably as he peeled his face up and out of a puddle of drool it had been lying in. His arms were bound behind him, and he didn't need to test his magic to feel their dampening effect.

Shoving himself upright, he took stock of his surroundings. Three plain, wooden walls, wooden ceiling, and wooden bars preventing his escape. He was pretty sure he could simply smash his way through if he got enough momentum.

He also felt like his jailers were mocking him by throwing him in a cage made out of so much flammable material.

"So, you're awake Salamander," a voice just outside the small cell caught his attention, and Natsu lifted his eyes to spot his pretty, blond target from earlier sitting smugly on a stool.

He was _definitely_ being mocked. Now he was sure of it.

He looked down at his chest, his eyes widening at the missing bandanna he normally wore.

"Hey! Lady, where's my bandanna?" He demanded, ignoring her questioning look as he surged to his feet. He crossed the cell in half a stride and dropped his forehead against the bars, "Where did you take it?"

Lucy blinked a little in surprise at his vehemence, "I have it here." She replied, pulling it out of her bag and showing it to him, "I kept hold of it so you wouldn't throw up on it."

She wasn't sure why it meant so much to the outlaw, but she saw no reason to keep it from him. It was an unusual piece of cloth perhaps, but with his arms bound and his magic suppressed he could hardly do anything with it. And she wasn't petty, or cruel, enough to keep it from him just because she could, despite how he'd attacked her.

"Give it back!" He snarled, his teeth bared in a way that was actually somewhat intimidating with his sharp canines, "That's mine!"

Lucy raised an elegant eyebrow as she stood up, "I could make a very pointed case about you taking things of equal value from other people you know." She sighed and walked up to him, "Fortunately for you, I'm neither a thief nor that petty."

She held up the bandana and before he could protest had whipped it around his neck and was tying it securely in place.

She felt him freeze in shock as she worked, but except for keeping a sharp eye on his teeth, ignored it, "There." She murmured once she was done and pulled back, "Better?"

Natsu just gaped at her. He could hardly believe she'd actually just done that. Why hadn't she held it over him and taunted him with it? He hadn't exactly been subtle about how much it meant to him. Just what was her game? She wasn't acting _anything_ like he'd expected a celestial wizard, or a human, to act and he was getting steadily more confused the longer he dealt with her.

He backed up a foot to get out of her reach just in case she changed her mind and took it back. His chin dipped down to feel the reassuring scrape of scales against his chin.

His breath came a little ragged and the angry growls within him died down. He panted out, eyes lidding now that he had his treasure back.

He could still feel the warm weight of his secondary treasure against his skin, undiscovered. He was grateful for that.

"My my, you certainly have a temper on you don't you sir," Lucy observed as the bandit stalked to the back of his cell to sit down heavily and glare at her.

He huffed out a laugh, lips twisting into a smirk, head cooking to the side, "You could say that. It's part of my nature."

Lucy swallowed, edging in closer to the bars and wrapping her hands around them. Her guildmates would probably scold her for getting so close, but he was something she had never even heard of before. Something connected to the stars.

She was understandably curious, and it showed.

"You come from the star Draco, right? But you have so many siblings! They're all different from you too!" Lucy looked at him with earnest excitement, "How is that possible?"

Natsu raised an eyebrow at her, a little confused at her genuine enthusiasm. He shifted his weight so his cuffs weren't trying to dig into his wrists.

"What's it to ya?" he grunted.

"I'm honestly curious." Lucy admitted, "Loke, you might know him as Leo the Lion, is something of a ladies man, but I've never heard of half human half celestial children before. I didn't think such a thing was even possible. The celestial and human realms aren't exactly compatible, and I didn't think there was enough in common for children to happen."

Natsu snorted, "Professional curiosity huh? Why should I tell ya?" He smirked, "Would ya let me out if I did?"

Lucy sighed a little and shook her head, "You know I won't do that. Even if you weren't a wanted bandit, you attacked me with no provocation and tried to steal my keys. No matter what your destination is the Sheriff."

She folded her arms, "But regardless of that, I can't help being curious about you."

Natsu eyed her for a long moment, debating if he should answer her or not. Their father had warned them repeatedly of the dangers of trusting strange humans with their secrets, but she hadn't acted like the stories at all. And despite everything, she had returned his bandana to him without hesitation.

Maybe that deserved a small reward.

"Dad said it took magic." He replied just as Lucy had begun to think he wouldn't, "We weren't accidents. He did somethin' to combine Ma with the essence of one of his stars."

"Do you know what?" Lucy asked curiously, her eyes lit up with renewed excitement at the bit of information.

Natsu just shrugged, "I dunno." He grumbled sullenly, "All I know is it only worked 'cause both he an' Ma had a connection to this world. Ma 'cause she was human and dad 'cause his stars originated here."

He clamped his mouth shut after that, determined not to say anything else. He was grateful for the return of his scarf, but not _that_ grateful. And while this information wasn't worth anything to her, he wasn't about to risk letting something more valuable slip.

He doubted she would tell information like that anyway. There were only so many people a celestial wizard could tell that information to without violating subclauses in their contracts. The spirits held their information in high regard.

"So your father wanted a family," Lucy observed, and eyed him speculatively. However, she doubted she would get anything more from him. It was obvious he was shutting down and wouldn't answer any more questions.

"He must love each of you very much if that's how he feels," She smiled at him and paused, feeling Salamanders eyes on her as sharp and piercing as the bite of a rattlesnake.

Snake eyes, that was a good description. It was precisely what Lucy felt she was staring at. His gaze was sharp and intense, but quiet in his consideration. At least at the moment.

"Is that why you want my keys? To go up to the celestial realm and see him?" Lucy asked.

The bandit's nostrils flared out, his body stiffening in a telling way that had Lucy blinking at him.

Had she touched a little close to the truth?

His fangs were once more bared, eyes dark and angry.

"Humans aren't worthy to command the stars. Those keys don't belong to you," He growled cutting.

Lucy's eyes narrowed a little, "I don't _command_ anyone." She snapped back, "The contracts I hold were created freely. I didn't force them on my spirits. They're my friends and they made that choice themselves. They had the right to refuse then, and if they wanted it I would release their contracts."

There was a flare of light from her keys at her words, and Lucy automatically curled her hand around them protectively, "I know you don't." She murmured to them, "I'm just trying to explain..."

"Perhaps it would be better if he heard it directly from us?" Loke suggested as he appeared and gave Natsu a firm look.

"I know what you're thinking." He said, "You're thinking about the celestial wizards out there that abuse their spirits. That think of us as things. Objects to be used and nothing more. You need to understand that Lucy is not like that."

He stepped forward a little, "Lucy saved my life at the very real risk of her own. She's my friend, and I'll do anything to protect her. She cherishes each of us, and treats us as friends and equals. Because that's the type of person she is. I speak for all her spirits when I say we will fight to our last breath for her because we love her. Do not, _ever_ , compare her to those who are truly unworthy of the gift of the stars."

"Loke..." Lucy murmured, a little taken aback by the ferocity in his voice. He just smiled at her and vanished in a shower of gold sparkles.

A wry smirk curled at Natsu's lips. His head tilted at Lucy, "Awfully fancy words from your pal."

He didn't appear the slightest bit impressed by Loke's speech, and he showed it by the lazy way he spread out his legs before him.

"Did you know, that damn near every spirit will say the same thing about someone they have a contract with?" He purred at Lucy, his expression sharp, and his smile only grew, "Funny thing is often they seem genuine, but they're definitely afraid of their owner. At least until we liberate them."

He shrugged, "But maybe he's bein' frank with me. Who knows? I don't take stock from words, they don't mean much where I'm from."

"Actions Miss Heartfilia, that's where it counts," He grunted and rolled his shoulders forward to push himself back to his feet, "The way I see it-."

"-either ya make sure the Sheriff has me hanged, or ya prove ya got some mettle," Natsu dropped his forehead on the bars above Lucy's face, "Because one day, and one day soon. I'll be comin' back for them keys."

Lucy lifted her chin at him, "By all means try. I have nothing to prove to you sir, and any attempt on my keys will see you exactly where you are now."

Despite the imposing figure he cut, Lucy refused to be cowed by him. She knew her spirits cared for her, and while she could admire his tenacity and desire to free spirits in the clutches of abusive keyholders, she didn't care for his attentions.

She had enough troubles with suitors, the last thing she wanted was to be the target of an infamous gang.

Still, she knew she didn't imagine the flare of respect in his eyes as he looked at her. She wouldn't back down to him, and for Salamander that was probably a first.

After all, Salamander had quite the reputation of being the cannon of the Slayers.

Both Lucy and Salamander were pulled from their stare off by the sound of feet stomping heavily down the stairs and clanking metal.

Lucy looked up and smiled at the company, "Hello Erza."

"Lucy." The redhead greeted with a small smile of her own, utterly ignoring Natsu's astonished look at the sight of her breastplate and other armor, "The deputy's arrived from Shirotsume to retrieve Salamander."

"Ma'am." The deputy greeted and Lucy bobbed a curtsey at him.

"Thank you for coming." Lucy replied.

"It's no trouble at all." The man replied genially, "We heard the story about how you got here with him last night and we understand." He handed Lucy a bank draft as Erza unlocked the cell door, "Your bounty miss. Even if it wasn't official we're happy to honor it given the circumstances."

"Thank you." Lucy nodded, pleased that they were willing to honor the not insignificant bounty. Despite the fact she came from money, it meant a lot to her to build her own successes the same way her father had his business.

It was one of the reasons she'd joined a guild in the first place, and though her father was somewhat disappointed she didn't really have a passion for the family business, he was proud that she was following in her mother's footsteps.

"What's going to happen to him now?" She asked curiously as Natsu was pulled to his feet, and given a very dark glare from Erza when he tried to growl.

"That's up to the Sheriff I'm afraid," The deputy nodded his thanks to Erza for her assistance in pulling Natsu from his cell.

The bandit scoffed as he was gripped firmly around his bound wrists. His eyes swept critically over the man who was taking him prisoner. He had ruddy cheeks and a glisten of sweat and grime clinging to his face, seemingly not used to the summer heat in the desert. But what stood out was the smell.

"Funny," His nose crinkled at the man, his eyes taking in the rigid pose, the manners and the scent of rich perfume covered in layers of put on filth a deputy would be known to have.

"Ya don't smell like any lawman I've ever met before," He drawled, "In fact, I'd say ya have a little bit of the flowery stuff Miss Heartfilia hauls around."

"That ain't none of my business though," Natsu hissed through gritted teeth when the man gave a rather hard tug on his shackled wrists.

Lucy glanced at Erza as the deputy touched his hat to them and led Salamander away.

"Is it normal for lawmen here to smell a little like perfume?" She asked quietly, a little confused. Magnolia was still a new place to her, and though she hated to admit it she was still learning how most people lived without much money. At least her guildmates, bless them, didn't mock her for her often genuine confusion.

"Not at all." Erza replied with a small frown, "Perfume is something they might get their wives or a lady friend on a pay day if it was a special occasion. And though I'm reluctant to trust much of anything that comes out of Salamander's mouth, he had no particular reason to lie at that moment."

Lucy frowned a little, "Something doesn't add up then."

"Indeed not." Erza agreed and flashed Lucy a smirk, "Shall we go find out what?"

Lucy blinked a little and smirked back, "Sounds good."

She might not have any particular love of Salamander, but she never had been able to resist a mystery, and if there was foul play at work she wanted to find out about it.

Even the likes of Salamander deserved a fair trial.

-::-

Meanwhile, Natsu grunted as he was tossed in the back of a wagon and transported to the next town over.

His stomach was flipping into his throat the whole way, and the trip over made him too weak to resist the deputy when he was dragged out from the back of the paddywagon. His vision tilted and grew foggy at the corners, but he forced himself to right himself to look up at his new surroundings as he was hustled through fancy grounds that definitely weren't any sheriff's station and thrown into a cell.

This time he was not in a harmless wooden cell either. No. He groaned as he absorbed where he had been transported. A cage, with wrought iron bars. His hands were uncuffed, but that was only because the metal itself was enchanted to keep his magic suppressed out of the cage.

It was strange.

Not a cell, but a cage. Though he wasn't really surprised at this point.

Shiny shoes filled Natsu's vision, and the tip of a red hot cattle prod waved before his eyes.

"So," A sly voice sneered out, pulling Natsu's attention up to the man holding the cattle prod, "You're the infamous Salamander. The fire mage of the Slayers."

He scoffed, twirling a thick moustache between portly fingers.

"You don't look like much to me." The man laughed, "Nevertheless, I suppose I should make sure you're the real thing before I sell you off to my buyer."

Natsu barely had time to blink before the fat, balding, little slime lunged forward and pressed the cattle prod directly on his cheek.

"What the hell you asshole!" He snarled, ignoring the hiss of the prod as it came into contact with something, and grabbed it furiously. He wasn't pissed about the heat. It wasn't like that thing was hot enough to do any damage. However, the tip had come perilously close to his eye, and he wasn't particularly interested in losing it.

"How dare you!" The man cried indignantly, though it wasn't clear if he was more upset about being cursed at or Natsu's action, "Release that at once you worm!"

Natsu snorted derisively, "Now, why would I do that?" He asked and proceeded to try and tug the thing out of the bastard's hand.

Unfortunately, his captor's grip was a lot stronger than it looked at a glance, and Natsu wasn't exactly at his best after two cart rides, and a night of unconsciousness, in succession.

The cattle prod slipped from Natsu's grasp, snatched up by the man who had tried to burn him. He let out a sharp shout of pain when the prod came down against his skull, and Natsu clutched at his head.

He swore angrily when the man retreated, looking a little shaken over Natsu's display.

"I suppose you _are_ Salamander!" He huffed out, "Which is good news for me. I have a buyer very interested in you and your magic. All of you Slayers in fact, and he's willing to pay four times the amount of your bounty just to get his hands on you!"

"Shame I couldn't provide him the whole set though, that would have fetched a beautiful price. The name Everlue would be associated forever with wealth," the man huffed, "Still, this isn't bad. Shame someone else got to the others."

Now that caught Natsu's attention, and his body stiffened. Drawing his hands away from his scalp, Natsu sucked in a ragged breath.

His nest? Something had happened to his family?

It made frightening sense in a new and terrifying way. Natsu had been wondering why none of his nest came to assist with stealing Lucy's keys. Furthermore he was curious why his family hadn't come to break him out yet.

"What're you talkin' about?" He demanded, hands wrapping around the metal bars, "My family, what the hell happened to them?"

Everlue stared at him in mild surprise. His lips twitched and he began to chortle before it erupted into a full blown laugh.

"Oh now! Isn't that delicious!" He laughed uproariously, "You don't know! You haven't heard!"

Natsu bared his fangs and growled menacingly at his captor, but the effect was considerably reduced given he was behind magic suppressing bars.

"Your family was captured." Everlue smirked, clearly enjoying being the bearer of bad news, "No one knows by whom. My spies tell me the ground above the canyon Lady Heartfilia fought _you_ in was torn up. It must have been quite a battle boyoyoyo!"

Natsu felt sick at the news. His whole nest? Gone? And he hadn't even noticed because he was too busy messing around with Heartfilia?

He knew that any fight bad enough to capture his brothers and sister would've been explosive. Sting and Laxus in particular should've lit up the night enough for him to notice, but he hadn't seen anything. How was that possible?

"You're lying." He growled, coming to the only conclusion he could.

"Oh I'm not lying." Everlue half sang, "It's quite true. The bounty hunters are very upset that Fairy Tail got the credit for capturing just you. However, you can believe whatever you want if it makes you feel better." He shrugged and turned away, "Not that you'll ever be seeing them again one way or the other anyway."

Natsu let out a snarl of rage and lunged at the bars, wrapping a hand around Everlue's ascot. He yanked forward hard enough to slam the portly man against the cage, his temper flaring to dangerous heights.

Already he could feel the skitter of scales carving into his skin, etching under his eyes as his rage mounted. A vein throbbed in his temple and his teeth ground hard.

"Let me out of here ya coward or I'll burn ya to ash to blow out with the tumbleweeds!" He snarled thoughtlessly.

The metal bar Everlue held was slammed back against Natsu's skull. Once, twice, three times, until his grip slackened enough for him to release the man.

His vision blackened around the edges, but not enough for him to pass out. Just enough for him to feel the throbbing in his skull beat along to his frantic heart.

"You animal!" Everlue all but shrieked. There was a wideness to his eyes that Natsu recognized. It spoke of that deep seated fear all humans had when faced with a predatory creature. Everlue had caught sight of a dragon, "how dare you even touch someone of my status! You're nothing but a filthy bandit and you have the gall to make demands to me?"

"You even laid hands on me!" Everlue looked disgusted by the very thought of Natsu's grimy hands befouling his pristine dress shirt, looking shaken.

"You ought to be put in the stocks for that," he sneered at Natsu, striking out once more through the bars to stab at him with the iron cattleprod.

Natsu hissed and backed away to the other side, his eyes flaring with anger.

It was less so at his situation, and more over the fact that he was not out there helping his family.

"Everlue, was it?" Natsu snarled, the scales fading back away under the rich man's eyes. He looked fairly disturbed at the sight, and Natsu's chest boiled with muted anger.

"Ya better make damn sure I never get out of this cage. Because I'll make sure you ain't got a penny left to your name when I'm through with you," he growled.

Everlue snorted derisively at the threat, "I doubt you could manage to financially ruin a pauper let alone a man of my wealth and standing." He sneered, "You're nothing but a lowly train robber. You will never have the clout to ruin me!"

With that he turned and stalked out of the room leaving Natsu alone with his fury and plots of both revenge and escape.

* * *

 **Thank you again for everyone who has stuck by this story so far! Here is your sneak peak! See you guys on Sunday!**

 _"Lots of flat desert between here and this Everlue," Wendy observed, her eyes narrowed under the brim of her hat, gloves tightened around her reins._

 _Gajeel flicked open his pocket watch, tsking at the gears inside that needed some fine tuning. He'd have to take it in for someone to get a good look at it when they had next opportunity._

 _"We'll give these fairies a twenty minute lead before comin' down on them. Don't want them gettin' wise to us following," Gajeel grunted, snapping the watch shut and sliding it back into his pocket._

 _Without another word, those two got into position as they watched the specks of Lucy and Erza disappear into the sweltering horizon._


	5. Among the Willows

**Hey guys! Kytrin here for Mslead today. She's busily putting together a handmade birthday card, so I offered to put the chapter up while she worked. I hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5**

 **Among the Willows**

 _Dodging the Law._

* * *

"And you're sure that's the direction they were going in?" Lucy asked the driver with a frown.

"Yes ma'am." He confirmed, "They headed straight east from here in a fancy looking wagon."

"I guess that confirms it then." Lucy muttered and flashed the man a smile for his helpfulness before handing him a gold coin, "Thank you for your help sir."

The man tipped his hat at her and deftly pocketed the money, "If you need anything else miss just let me know."

"It doesn't seem that told us much." Erza sighed from where she'd been standing to the side listening.

"On the contrary." Lucy replied, "It told us quite a bit. The description of that wagon is unfamiliar to me, but Duke Everlue lives due east of here." Her nose wrinkled in distaste, "He's a disgusting little slug who will do anything to make money. He once petitioned father for my hand."

"He did what?" Erza asked in surprise, and Lucy nodded.

"He was very upset when he was informed that the only one who would choose my husband would be me." She smirked slightly, "And since I'd very recently thrown a pitcher of lemonade in his face it was pretty clear what his chances were."

She shook herself a little, "But that's beside the point. The point is it appears that Everlue went to a lot of trouble to get his hands on Salamander, and I shudder to think about the reasons why."

"So you do believe this Everlue fellow has Salamander?" Erza questioned, adjusting herself to sit better astride her horse. The armor she donned was difficult on a horse, but it was made out of a lightweight brass with cogs in it which turned to allow for breathability in the desert heat.

"Well, he's the only one who lives in this area outside the sheriff that could afford that bounty, so it's the best guess I have," Lucy admitted. She sighed and lifted her chin marginally, "Either or, we're not going to get a real answer out of him regardless so we may have to sneak in to see for ourselves."

She gave Erza a hesitant look, the very idea of sneaking in some place like a thief going against her high society upbringing, but Erza didn't even blink at her hesitant suggestion.

If Lucy didn't know better, she almost would have said Erza looked a little proud by the tilt of her lips. Her lips twitched a little in response, pleased at the approval. She was still very much a stranger to the ruggedness of the west, but was grateful for the guidance Erza provided her from the beginning. She, their partner Gray, and all of their friends at Fairy Tail had always been very patient with her.

"Then let's see for ourselves, shall we?" Erza nodded at Lucy.

She squinted back towards the direction of the guild, "It's a shame we couldn't get a hold of Gray. He would have made excellent company for this job. Especially since I doubt Salamander will simply roll over and allow us to capture him again to turn him over to the proper authorities. He may not be willing to accept our aid."

Lucy adjusted the keys at her side and sighed in agreement, her thoughts wandering back to Salamander, sitting who knew where, alone and possibly in danger.

She didn't hold a lot of sympathy for the man who tried to rob her, but Lucy couldn't help the compassion she held in her heart for someone who was separated from their family. Fairy Tail had taught her that everyone deserved a chance.

"It doesn't matter if he accepts our assistance or not. The fact is that he's getting it. We'll cross the bridge of apprehending him to pay for his crimes at a time when it is best suited for it," She declared.

Erza's approving look was unmistakable this time, and Lucy felt herself flush a little with joy as she remounted her own horse. Though she did it nowhere near as gracefully as Erza had without someone to give her a hand up, and she had to wonder if it really _would_ be completely ridiculous for her to change her dress a little.

Erza said nothing however, merely held out a hand to steady her as she got situated, for which she was grateful.

"Very well then." Erza replied calmly, "I believe we have our next destination. Do you know how long a ride it is from here?"

Lucy pursed her lips a little in thought as they started moving, "I'm not sure." She admitted, "I've never been there myself. I'm only familiar with it as a place of interest on the map." She cocked her head slightly, "I'd say maybe half a day or so? If that?"

Not far iin the grand scheme of things, but she wished it was closer. It didn't help that the train tracks to that area were still under construction either.

"It's alright Lucy." Erza said reassuringly, "A half day's travel isn't bad, and it's unlikely anything more will happen to Natsu since we're on the trail now."

Lucy nodded and they set off at a brisk pace never noticing the mismatched looking pair that crept around the corner shortly after and began quietly following them.

Gajeel's eyes followed the path of the women, his tongue clicking against the back of his throat, "So. Salamander went and got himself caught by that frilly skirt, and then picked up by some fella lookin' posin' as a lawman."

"Lots of flat desert between here and this Everlue," Wendy observed, her eyes narrowed under the brim of her hat, gloves tightened around her reins.

Gajeel flicked open his pocket watch, tsking at the gears inside that needed some fine tuning. He'd have to take it in for someone to get a good look at it when they had next opportunity.

"We'll give these fairies a five minute lead before comin' down on them. Don't want them gettin' wise to us following," Gajeel grunted, snapping the watch shut and sliding it back into his pocket.

Without another word, those two got into position as they watched the specks of Lucy and Erza disappear into the sweltering horizon.

-::-

Less than an hour later Lucy was frowning up at the large estate, sitting pretty by itself practically untouched by the harder working denizens of the town. It was also right by the ocean, which provided Everlue the unique opportunity to have a lush looking property especially when compared to the miles of sand and hard earth they had passed to reach it.

In fact, the whole area was lush and green thanks to the river flowing nearby. Which was quite a sight for sore eyes after all the sand, rocks, and desert. But that wasn't what was bothering her.

"Why is this place not bigger and more prosperous?" She asked in astonishment, earning a confused look from Erza, "And why is Magnolia not part of it? With a river like that the two towns would be better off combined, and they should be a trade center."

"What do you mean?" Erza asked, unable to see what her friend seemed to so easily.

Lucy pointed at the river, which spread a little into delta this close to the ocean, "Look there, if canals were built and the remaining land drained there would be a lot of very fertile, arable, land for farmers to use. And the river itself would be a conduit for trade as large as it is. Especially if there's any potential for a harbor along the beach there. And as close to Magnolia as it is I'm surprised the two haven't combined on their own by now. Heck, I'm surprised you weren't familiar with it."

She looked at Erza, "This place should be thriving as one of the major towns in Fiore, including guild presence, but it's not."

Erza frowned a little as she thought about it, "You have a point Lucy. Most of the guild pays little attention to this area due to no jobs being available out here. Perhaps we have Everlue to thank for that as well?"

Lucy shrugged and made a mental note to write to her father about this, "Possibly, but if so he's a short sighted idiot."

There was no excuse for such a lush area so close to the struggling Magnolia to be unused like this. There was more than enough room to merge the two towns together and build something truly impressive here. And if _she_ could see the potential, it was certain her father would too. He would probably even enjoy the challenge. Especially if he could talk Fairy Tail into moving as well. Having a guild protecting the larger town would be quite a boon to business.

"Regardless, let's deal with the business at hand." Erza continued, "The rest can wait a little longer I think. It's fortunate this place was so much closer than we originally thought," She dismounted from her horse, holding out a hand to steady Lucy once more as she climbed down. An offer the blond accepted gratefully.

She had grown accustomed to riding side saddle, which simply wasn't possible in the wilder parts of the west. Getting used to wearing her dress on the back of a horse for travel had been one of the more difficult learning curves for her to conquer.

Hell, dismounting itself was hard.

She smiled and gathered up her dress, fingers hooking around one of the hoops under her petticoat, "Yes. We have a certain bandit to find and possibly liberate."

They walked together and tied up their horses, Lucy extracting a fan from her side bag to keep herself a touch cooler in these temperatures. It wouldn't matter much in a little while, but it was still best to keep up appearances.

They skated around the boundary of his estate, looking up at his high and clean walls.

"I don't believe I can get Everlue to open the door for me," Lucy admitted to Erza in a low voice.

"Which is why it's a good thing we've already decided to break in," Erza replied, her expression calm, "Besides, I'm certain he would have found it suspicious you arrived here so shortly after being provided Natsu's bounty, especially if - as we suspect, he is our guilty party."

Erza gestured towards the back window and smiled politely at Lucy, "Shall we?"

Nodding, they both ducked out of sight while Lucy and Erza equipped into their various gear. Lucy through her spirits and Erza through her armor.

"Thank you for the help Virgo," Lucy smiled at her spirit, crouching down to burrow a hole into their unsuspecting target's home. It would be a shame about his pretty yard, but Lucy was willing to sacrifice it for answers.

"Of course princess," Virgo nodded to Lucy, sinking in a deep curtsey.

Erza smiled approvingly.

"Very useful," She noted once they were inside, having appeared in what seemed to be a basement.

Lucy flashed Erza a brief smile, but it quickly melted from her face as they made their way inside. She'd never broken into someone's house before, and found the whole experience very eerie. It was honestly all she could do not to jump at every little sound or shadow as she half expected to see Everlue or one of his horrifying maids at any moment.

"Be careful of Everlue's maids." She murmured in an undertone, "They worship the ground he walks on, and are capable of fighting even if they're not wizards."

"I see." Erza replied, shifting slightly into a more battle ready stance, "And what of Everlue himself?"

"I'm not really sure." Lucy frowned, "I know he works a lot with magic devices, but the only ones I've seen were the ones designed for non-wizards to use too, and those aren't really designed for fighting with."

The women froze as they heard the distinct sound of a heavy thump behind them from the direction of their hole. They glanced at each other with frowns and quickly hid around the corner.

Gajeel narrowed his eyes as he moved as quietly as he could through the basement, though not nearly as quietly as he'd hoped if the sudden quiet ahead of them was any indication. The women had been talking freely, if quietly, until his landing and now there was nothing. Which probably meant they'd heard him and were preparing for a fight.

Damnit that was not what he'd wanted at all.

He wasn't interested in fighting the fairies. He just wanted to get his brother out of this hellhole. Destroying Everlue, as much as he wanted to do that, or taking Heartfilia's keys, was secondary to getting Natsu out.

He glanced at Wendy, silently warning her to keep quiet, and she nodded as she dropped back. As light as she was she hadn't made a sound when she joined him so with luck the women wouldn't realize there were two of them there. That might give them the advantage.

"Alright ladies," he growled out, making no move to hide his heavy trend now that they already knew he was there, "I ain't here for you or Everlue and his brigade of freaks, so why don't ya come on out already."

He moved to where he had last heard them talking, keeping his hands out where they could be seen.

Before he could blink, he had a sword pointing directly between his eyes, and Gajeel almost had to snort out his amusement at the idea of that even hurting him. Dragon skin was quite a bit tougher than normal people.

He eyed the glittering metal with a touch of hunger, fangs snapping closed as he reigned in his desire to take a bite out of it. The hazards of coming from the star of Metallicana. All metal looked damn delicious.

"Get that out of my face if you wanna keep it in one piece Red," Gajeel growled at the woman who was holding the weapon. Her nickname was apt, thanks to the scarlet locks flowing down her back, but he knew who she was. Erza of Fairy Tail. The Titania herself.

He'd thought the rumors of her armor fixation were just stories. He snorted slightly as he realized how very wrong he was.

She glared at him through a fringe of hair, one eye narrowed on him.

Slowly, she slackened her grip, dropping the point towards the floor instead.

"Black Steel I take it, one of the Slayers to find your brother?" She asked with an intuitive sweep of her eyes along Gajeel and his clothes.

"Salamander has a tendency of gettin' himself in trouble when the plan goes off its mark," Gajeel grunted, "I know he's here."

Lucy came up from behind Erza, looking suspicious.

"How do you know that?"

Gajeel flashed her a winning smirk, "Just followed the scent of charcoal and dynamite. He's here."

Lucy frowned, "Then our suspicion was correct." She murmured, and eyed Gajeel distrustfully, "And what will happen once your brother has been freed?"

She had absolutely no doubt that Black Steel intended to free Salamander, and there was no way she and Erza could prevent that from happening without alerting Everlue to their presence. Assuming the two of them together were able to beat both Slayers. Salamander alone had been difficult, and she was honest enough to admit she'd mostly won through pure luck.

Gajeel eyed her for a moment, and the way her spirit had tensed in case this turned into a fight, and snorted, "I ain't got time for messin' around with you girlie. I'm here for my brother an' that's all."

"Really?" Lucy asked skeptically, "Because Salamander seemed awfully determined to get his hands on my keys for your family."

Gajeel flashed her a pointy smirk, "I'm not gonna lie Miss. We're not givin' up on that. But gettin' your keys ain't the priority today." He held up his hands, "Look, we can bicker about it all day, but I swear on Draco's constellation I ain't here for you, an' I got no intention of goin' after you once we free the runt."

Erza glanced at Lucy, who was glaring fiercely at Gajeel, something that seemed to amuse him more than anything, and Lucy nodded once.

"Neither Salamander, nor anyone else with you, is allowed to go after me either." She replied sternly.

"For today only." Gajeel confirmed, enormously amused that Heartfilia was brassy enough to negotiate a contract on the fly like that, and held out his hand.

"For today only." Lucy agreed and shook it, sealing the contract in place.

Gajeel smirked at her, letting her hand go and cocking his head. She was pretty smart for a noble, knowing not to totally trust bandits without drawing their word. And ordinarily that wouldn't have been enough for a typical bandit. However they were from the stars. They _had_ to honor their contracts when they made them.

It seemed like Miss Heartfilia had picked up on that fact.

She was certainly very clever, but her on the fly contract didn't cover all of her bases. Specifically, her redheaded friend, her spirits, or Everlue. They could go after her keys without having to go after _her_.

Not that he intended to, but it would be a lesson she'd pick up on through experience the longer she spent with a bunch of ruffians like him and his family.

He tapped the tip of his nose and gestured for them to follow him, disappearing around a corner as he followed his brother's scent. He didn't care if the two women followed him or not, but he also had Wendy hanging back to shore up the rear just in case the redhead got a little trigger happy.

They walked through the lower levels of the cellar, creeping up wooden stairs to the main hall where they were created with high ceilings and ornate figures. Gajeel restrained the urge to let out a whistle at their surroundings.

He had never even stood in a place this nice before in his life. He was half afraid his boots were going to track mud and filth all over the place and give away their position.

They were standing on some rich red carpet that crushed like velvet under his soles, the dark wood was polished cherry, while tapestries hung like big game trophies on the wall. Gajeel's lips curled at the opulence and wealth practically hanging off every corner.

"Tasteless," Erza muttered under her breath.

Gajeel couldn't help but nod, " _Does_ look a bit like a brothel," He cackled.

They heard steps further down the hall, and they all quickly tucked around a decorative awning, yanking a tapestry around them as one of Everlue's maids walked past.

They held their breath until she disappeared, before they got out from their hiding spot to quickly run the way she came as stealthily as possible.

"Did you see what she had in her hands?" Lucy hissed once they were further down the hall, "An empty tray."

"And you think she was bringing it to Salamander," Erza filled in the blanks, her eyes flashing to Gajeel, "What do you say Black Steel? Think he's down this way?"

Gajeel snorted, lifting his nose to the air and closing his eyes. The air up here was thick with perfume and cologne, far too fancy and heavy for his tastes. But underneath it he could detect the unique scent of his brother.

Under normal circumstances, perhaps it would have been too faint to detect with all of the other smells around, but there was a coppery flavor to it that Gajeel recognized. His brother was bleeding freshly, which did nothing to ease his mind.

That, and he could hear a low, familiar rumble. Natsu's growling. Which told him while he might have gotten whacked pretty hard, he was still capable of fighting more than likely.

"I reckon you're right," He nodded to them, "This way."

They followed behind Gajeel as quickly as they could, the sense of urgency rising the closer they got. Luckily, they didn't encounter anyone else. No maids, no other servants, and no Everlue. At least not yet.

When they got to the room Salamander was being held in Lucy was a little sorry she didn't have a way to record the look of absolute shock on his face. It must've been bad enough to see any of them coming in, but to see her there with his siblings must've been amazing.

"Ga-Black Steel?" He stuttered, obviously having trouble believing his eyes.

"Yeah, it's me runt." Gajeel snorted as he strode up to the mouth watering looking cage he was being held in, shooting him a subtle glare for almost using his name, "Didn't think we'd leave you here did we?"

"How'd you find me?" Natsu demanded as he stepped back a little to let Gajeel work, and glanced warily at the women with him, "And what are they doing here?"

"We're the reason your brother and sister are here at all." Lucy replied, not sure if she should be annoyed by his tone or not.

"It's true." Gajeel confirmed, "Dunno what put them on the scent, but they were investigatin' the guy who took you almost as soon as you was took. Sky an' I followed 'em here."

"And you're working together now?" Natsu asked in disbelief and Gajeel shrugged lightly.

"Made a little contract with Miss Heartfilia. We leave her alone today an' focus on gettin' you out."

He shot Natsu a firm look warning him not to try and get around the contract either. He wasn't about to discuss family business with Heartfilia and Scarlet there, but he wanted to make sure his brother didn't do something stupid either. That was about the last thing they needed.

Natsu scowled, but nodded reluctantly as Gajeel grabbed one of the cage bars and sank his teeth into it like it was a juicy steak. The way the women's jaws dropped at the sight more than made up for any irritation though.

"Am I seeing that right?" Lucy muttered in disbelief, "Is he _eating_ the cage?"

"It... certainly seems so." Erza replied uncertainly.

As soon as Gajeel had enough space for Natsu to squeeze out, he gave his brother a nod to back up. He kicked out with a boot until the metal bent enough for him to climb out.

He brushed himself off, his eyes leveling flatly on Lucy for a moment. His hand lifted to brush up to his hairline where he touched the tender place he had been struck enough to make bleed, prompting Wendy to dart over to inspect it.

He gave Lucy a crooked smirk, "Thanks for the assistance ma'am, it's as my brother says, you get a pass for the rest of the day. Got other things to worry about."

He cracked his knuckles and slammed a fist into the palm of his hand, "I'd leave if you ain't got nothing left to do here. I made a certain promise to the man of the house and I can't break my word."

Fire began to curl around his wrist and arms, "Since we're still being polite and all, you can take that as your invitation to go."

Lucy made a strangled noise of annoyance and anger in the back of her throat, stepping up to Natsu to poke him right in the chest, "Listen Salamander, if you think we're just going to leave and let you rob this man of everything he has or kill him-"

"Relax missy," Natsu snorted at her, "Killin's not our style. But he's got information my brother and I are going to need, and I'm not interested in touching even one of his magical knickknacks."

"Too much blood invested in gettin' rich," Gajeel supplied to the women. But he gave Natsu a curious look, as if wondering what information Everlue could possibly have that they would need.

Erza gave them both a disbelieving look, "Pardon me if I'm a little skeptical of your sudden magnanimous personality. Bandits don't usually turn away from a score as big as this."

Natsu stepped up to Erza, his smirk wide and fangy, "They do when someone is goin' through an awful lot of trouble tryin' to get their hands on lil' ol' me."

Erza snorted and lightly tugged on Lucy's elbow, "Come. It seems they still have their secrets. I think we should leave these bandits to their...ah, personal business."

Lucy nodded, but eyed the trio of bandits contemplatively, "You know... if it's true you've never killed, and you kept your real identities a secret, then it may not be too late for you to consider joining a guild."

Three sets of eyes widened at the outlandish sounding suggestion, and Erza smirked, "She has a point. A guild could certainly use wizards of your caliber, and you would certainly have an easier time making a more honest living."

"It might even help you find what you've been looking for." Lucy added and shot them a pert little smile, "Just something to think about. I'm certain Master Makarov at least would be interested in hearing you out."

"Indeed he would. It's certainly something to keep in mind." Erza said over her shoulder as they headed for the exit.

Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy stared after them for a long moment before Natsu snorted and crossed his arms, "Please!" He huffed, "Like we'd want to join some stupid guild!"

"I don't know." Wendy murmured, drawing her brother's looks, "It could be fun. And they would have a lot more information on magic than we do. Maybe it _would_ help."

Gajeel snorted, but didn't immediately discount his sister's thoughts. Wendy was often as changeable as her element, but she also tended to have better insight than the rest of them. Instead he shrugged.

"It might. It might not." He replied, "But either way that ain't somethin' for us to be thinkin' about now. We got more important things to do."

"Right." Natsu growled, little flames erupting on him, "Like dealing with this Everlue jerk."

He grinned viciously over at his siblings and stepped over to the wall opposite them, "Lets get his attention, shall we?"

Outside, Lucy and Erza looked up as the entire right side of his estate blue up in a violent explosion of fire.

"My word, I suppose we know why he wanted us out of the house?" Lucy gasped from where she was struggling back onto the back on her horse.

"I don't believe Everlue is going to find himself in possession of much of a fortune after the slayers are through with him," Erza blinked, "I'm almost afraid to imagine what would have happened if all seven of them were there."

"Well, I don't plan on sticking around to find out. There's no telling where the rest of them are." Lucy shook her head, twisting the reins in her hands.

* * *

 _ **Alas no preview this time. We didn't make our 30 review threshold last chapter, so you guys will just have to wait and see what happens! I do wanna take a moment to thank everyone who asked after me regarding Irma. Please be assured that I'm perfectly fine and all is well where I live. The worst I had to deal with was a couple of long car drives with mewing kitties and 3 days of no internet.**_

 _ **I would also like to announce that Mslead and I are going to try posting twice a week starting this coming week. As my schedule is far more stable than hers is I will be posting chapter 6 on Wednesday. If this goes well, we'll keep the new Wednesday/Sunday schedule for the rest of the story. Love you guys! See you next chapter!**_


	6. Loller

_**Hey guys! Kytrin here as promised with your mid-week chapter! I hope you enjoy! :D**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 6**

 **Loller**

 _Live, sportive damsel._

* * *

It was night. The nearby crackle of fire let out a soft orange glow that filled the small clearing the Slayers were sleeping in. Natsu frowned up at the sky, his thoughts running in a hundred different circles as he wondered about what they had learned from Everlue.

Natsu had wanted to hit that man until his knuckles bled, but one hard smack had made the slimeball practically deflate in unconsciousness.

It took out a bit of the fun of interrogating him, especially since he squealed all his secrets the moment he came to. All of his spoils on how he made his wealth came to the light, many of which were illegal, unfortunately most of what they discovered from Everlue was irrelevant to their needs.

They had dropped him off at the sheriff's office wrapped up like a parcel with a neat list of his crimes along with his signed confession, as much for the irony as the revenge. Though both were sweet enough. And never mind the amused little smile his sister kept giving him.

The one name they _did_ find out though was a name.

Hades.

That was the name of his buyer.

And more than likely, if he was a collector of sorts - especially dealing in the trafficking of wizards, then it was logical he would know where their siblings were.

Natsu stared up at the stars overhead, glittering brightly in the vast sky. It felt so close, but Natsu ached when he realized what an illusion of closeness those stars really had. He missed Draco. He missed the flames of Igneel. He missed his _family_. It was like a burning itch in the back of his head that refused to leave.

More than that, he was homesick. Homesick for a place he'd never even had. A home they could _never_ have.

Fiddling with the gold coin around his neck, he brushed his thumb over the smooth surface as he tried not to let his thoughts take a dark turn. It was hard though, especially when their family was being chipped away at by some unknown lunatic for reasons potentially horrifying.

It was just like the stories of the past... What Draco had warned them about when they were children.

A chill ran up his spine, and Natsu grasped at the coin in his palm, trying to draw comfort from it.

The small reminder he had to keep faith in people. To remember that not everyone was bad. That people could be good, and often were.

It was getting harder to believe.

He sighed a little and closed his eyes, trying to relax enough to go to sleep, but no sooner did he do that than the image of a blond flashed before his eyes. He bit back a small growl, his eyes flying open again. Damn that woman. Ever since he'd fought her she'd been on his mind for some reason.

He wasn't even sure why.

Sure, Miss Heartfilia had proven she had something between her ears besides fluff, which was always more interesting than the brainless fillies he usually saw. It didn't hurt that she was pretty easy on the eyes either, but that was no reason for him to still be thinking about her. Especially when he remembered the way she seemed to have this habit of stubbornly arguing with him about everything.

She wouldn't be cowed by him. She wouldn't hand over her keys to him. She argued with him about her spirits. Hell, she'd even gotten in his face about Everlue after going through all the trouble of finding out if something shady had happened to him or not!

She refused to mesh with any of his expectations. It was very aggravating.

He glanced at his coin and snorted a little in wry amusement. It was kind of ironic in a way. Now that he thought about it she kind of reminded him of his princess. She hadn't been scared of him either, and had torn him up one side and down the other for trying to steal those fireballs before handing a bag full of them over. Talk about weird.

He sucked in a breath and suddenly sat up as a horrifying thought suddenly hit him; ignoring how his siblings alerted on him when he did. Could his princess be Lucy Heartfilia? No. It couldn't be. There was no way his sweet princess was related to that exasperating woman.

Desperate to disprove his theory, he mentally aligned the two and tried to find differences, but beyond the obvious age changes Lady Heartfilia was a spot on match for his princess. Down to the color of their hair and the tilt of their smiles. They were even both celestial wizards with zodiac keys. How had he not realized this before? Zodiacs were extremely rare, and he distinctly recalled his princess having more than one.

Natsu fell back down dropping the coin right on his face as he groaned and rolled over to smother himself in his wool blanket.

It seemed so obvious now.

Not that it mattered much. Despite the matter of her keys, it was doubtful he would run into her again soon. He still had a family to find and free. And as much as it pained him to admit it, his brothers were a far more immediate concern than their father.

Though that wouldn't last forever.

He smiled a little and pondered the coin in his hand, his mind wandering back to that little girl from such a long time ago that had been willing to help his family off the streets for a few precious months. A girl who had, apparently, grown into a woman willing to rescue a bandit she'd just caught.

He brought the coin up to his mouth, pressing his lips against the smooth metal as he often did. Kissing it for luck. Maybe having his princess and Heartfilia be the same person wasn't such a bad thing after all.

He closed his eyes. They were going to need plenty of luck soon. Their family was scattered and needed to be reunited. He just hoped the luck his princess gave him so long ago would hold true for a little while longer.

With that thought firmly in mind he tucked it carefully back into his shirt and pulled his hat over his eyes. He wouldn't be able to do anything unless he got some more sleep. Staying awake brooding about everything wasn't going to help.

For a mercy, this time his body agreed and it wasn't long before he'd drifted off.

-::-

"You sure about this?" Natsu asked tensely the next morning as they waited for the train to appear.

"Positive." Gajeel rumbled, "Everlue confirmed Hades exclusively uses Heartfilia rail lines for shippin'. But without the manifests we ain't got a prayer in figurin' out where to start looking."

"I don't understand why we even need the manifests." Natsu grumbled irritably, "It's not like we're going to find the name 'Hades' on them right?"

Gajeel huffed and smacked Natsu lightly over the head, "Idiot. Think for a minute. If we can find out who uses Heartfilia shippin' exclusively then we can start tracin' the names. Eventually we'll find Hades attached to one an' once we do..."

"We can find our brothers." Wendy murmured from their other side.

Gajeel nodded slowly, "Right."

Their sister had been worryingly sober since they'd started working on this mess. Not that she didn't smile, but her smiles weren't as big or free as before. There was a focus and determination about her that Gajeel would've been glad to see had it been anyone else.

As it was it just highlighted how upset his baby sister was with all this.

"There's just three of us," Wendy murmured worried, her eyebrows knitting together, "We'll have to be careful this time. Handling an entire train of frightened people is going to be hard with just us."

"Then we'll just have to be flashy sis," Natsu smiled at her, setting a warm hand on her slim shoulder, "Now, why don't you kick up a dust storm so bad the train takes a little break?"

Wendy gave Natsu a somewhat amused look and raised her hands to the sky, "Don't say you didn't ask for it. Cover your eyes and mouths, last thing I want to do is have to help you clean those out."

Natsu and Gajeel hastily covered up, and immediately, galeforce winds began to pick up, swirling into a hemisphere of obscuring dust just as Gajeel had timed it.

The train was coming just around the tracks when it was suddenly buffeted from one side to the next by the powerful winds Wendy was conjuring.

"Alright Wendy, keep it up!" Natsu hollered as he and Gajeel turned down the cliff bluff and headed towards the train.

They could hear the squealing brakes on the train as it was forced to stop, the carts swaying powerfully and rocking with an uncomfortable sort of chaos that made it too unsafe for even the train to travel by without danger of becoming derailed.

Natsu patted the neck of his horse, pleased that Gajeel and Wendy had been able to find Happy after he was captured. Their horses had all spooked pretty badly during the fighting when the rest of the family had been captured, but Happy had managed to catch up to Carla and Lily some time afterwards.

It was good to be on his buddy again.

He just hoped the others managed to make it home eventually too. It just didn't feel right without his brother's horses around.

"Come on!" He shouted as the train came to a final stop, voice once more muffled by his scaled bandanna.

Despite the seriousness of the situation he couldn't help cackling a little in delight as he and Gajeel rode down to greet the train. The rush of excitement when they did this never got old.

Gajeel, as usual, rode to the front while he headed for the back. With luck he would find what they were after quickly and be able to get away before the passengers got too unruly. He didn't think for a moment that most of them could beat him, but he didn't want to chance it too long in case there were wizards aboard too.

Hopefully he wouldn't even need to leave the baggage cars before he found what he was looking for.

Of course, his luck was always somewhat fickle even with his lucky charm.

He hadn't gotten very far when he opened the door to the next car and found himself face to face with Miss Lucy Heartfilia herself.

She took one look at him and her lips twitched wryly, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised." She sighed, "It figures you and your family would try to rob this particular train."

Natsu gawked at her, "What are you even doing here?!"

Lucy raised an elegant eyebrow, "Isn't it obvious?" She asked, "My father hired my guild to help guard the trains thanks to how often they've been robbed lately."

She shifted her stance and readied her keys, "Now, are you going to leave nicely, _without_ robbing these people, or do we need to escalate this?"

Natsu's brain ground to a halt at the fierce look in her eyes. It was giving him flashbacks to an identical set of eyes scolding him for trying to steal candy.

"Where did you get your keys from?" He blurted, and had to immediately repress the urge to bang his head against the nearest wall.

"What?" Lucy asked in confusion.

"Your keys, where did you get them from?" He demanded. Thinking he was already sunk in deep, he might as well commit to the question.

Besides, he was naturally curious.

Lucy toyed with the ring, her keys jingling in her hand. Her eyes were firm on him, as if trying to sleuth out whether or not he was trying to throw her off her game.

Not that he was. Really. He could fight dirty a lot, but this time he was too curious.

Once the thought had sunk in his mind, he couldn't let it go. Besides, what were the chances he ran into the same person so soon after their initial encounters. People could lose one another in the west. This was either a freak accident, or some bastardization of fate.

"My mother gave them to me," Lucy answered him finally, her fingers clutching protectively around the smooth metal, "Why? What does that matter?"

Natsu felt like someone had clubbed him over the head by her simple answer.

Her mother had given them to her.

That nailed it. Lucy and his princess. They were the same person.

He shook his head, quietly swearing over the abnormally bad streak his luck had taken on lately.

He tipped a hand against the brim of his hat, shoving it further down along the bridge of his nose.

"Not here to steal from the passengers today Miss Heartfilia, got something else in mind for myself," He clucked his tongue at the way she immediately tightened her grip on her keys.

"Not here for those either, reckon I might let you keep them after all," He grinned crookedly, "Wouldn't want to take away something your ma gave you."

"Consider it a favor for saving me," He snorted as he walked towards her, "Though you could've saved me a ton of trouble if ya hadn't turned me in the first place."

"Am I supposed to say thank you for not trying to rob from me this time?" Lucy demanded, raising an eyebrow at him. She turned, watching his every step as he walked through the compartment.

"You tell me, you're the one with high society manners 'n all," Natsu replied back flippantly, his hands settling down on crates. He bent around the side of them, looking for a manifest or list of names which could have been printed on the sides.

Lucy huffed irritably but couldn't help eyeing him curiously, "Do I even want to know why you're looking at the box labels?"

Natsu flashed her a wicked smirk, "Probably not."

Or would she? They might not know who Hades is, but anyone willing to buy him would have to be bad news for someone as straight laced as she and her papa were. It might be something they would want to know.

He thought about it as he inspected the area, his inner distrust battling with the reality that the Heartfilia Heiress was _right there_ and could probably supply the information he needed a lot faster.

"You ever heard of a guy named Hades?" He asked finally, testing the waters a little.

Lucy blinked and frowned a little, thrown by the weird new turn the already strange conversation had taken, "No. I can't say that I have. Why?"

Natsu shrugged, not really surprised, "He was the jerk Everlue was gonna sell me to." He explained, "And I hear he runs exclusively through your papa's railroad."

Lucy's jaw dropped for a moment and a scowl crossed her face, "How sure are you of that?" She demanded, "Are you willing to give your word?"

Natsu's lips curled triumphantly, "Sure enough I'm willing to swear on my father's stars." He purred a little, "Though I can't exactly make a contract for it."

Lucy shook her head and sighed, "Well you're going about this all wrong." She informed him irritably, "You're not going to find shipping manifests or anything else on the trains. They're kept at the stations. They're _needed_ to ensure items get shipped correctly. You'd be better off copying them and working from there."

She crossed her arms, "Of course, it wouldn't kill you to consider informing the owner of this little tidbit of information either. He _might_ even be grateful enough to let you know if he found anything."

Natsu snorted at Lucy and he crooked a smile at her, " Maybe so Miss Heartfilia, but a copy of the shipping manifest is always put in the cargo hold to run an inventory when it reaches a destination."

"This ain't my first stick up y'know," Natsu crossed his arms and cocked a satisfied smirk at her indignant expression, "'Sides, a train is a much less noticeable target for bandits to hit than a train station. And, it ain't our job to make sure your pa doesn't get into bad business."

Lucy's jaw dropped, her temper flaring in annoyance as he continued to swagger around like he owned the place.

"And how exactly are you going to narrow your search down from a list of hundreds of names anyway?" Lucy demanded, "Even if you somehow managed to get your hands on that manifest, how are you going to know which one is 'Hades?'"

That pulled Natsu up short a bit, and he frowned, clearly not having thought that far ahead.

"Well if you help me find it, you can show me which ones are the really skivvy looking ones and save me some trouble, otherwise we'll have to hit everyone on that list," Natsu rubbed at his chin under his bandanna.

Lucy sighed and walked up to him, yanking on the white fabric to expose his face to her.

"Fine, if I help you find this manifest, will you get off this train without terrorizing anyone? I'll meet up with you later to help you narrow it down," Lucy growled at him, shoving herself an inch from his face.

A lazy grin grew over Natsu's face.

"Deal, no terrorizing," Natsu purred at her.

Lucy glared at him, torn between wanting to smack that grin off his face and wanting to smack herself for liking how it looked on him. It was all kinds of wrong that this infuriating, thieving, _jerk_ could have a smile that made her heart leap a little. No matter what he'd promised.

She growled again and shoved herself away from him, unaware of the way the smile she was determined to detest grew when she did. She stalked over to a small set of shelves and drawers and pulled one open. Moments later she spun around and shoved a folder into his chest.

"Here! This is what you're looking for!"

Natsu chuckled a little, finding her display of temper quite attractive, and took it from her, "Appreciated Miss Heartfilia." He purred genially, enjoying the way that just seemed to piss her off even more.

He supposed he probably shouldn't push it too far. She was helping him after all. But the sight of her fury was surprisingly entrancing, and he kinda wanted to keep pushing her buttons to see what would happen.

Though he dearly would've loved to know what had set her off so badly in the first place. He'd promised he wasn't going to rob anyone or try to take her keys hadn't he?

He kept his eyes locked with her, inviting her into a staring contest she seemed adamant not to back down from. Natsu dropped his hand over his chest where she had the wrapped documents pressing into him.

Without pulling his eyes away, he snagged his bandanna to pull it back over his nose.

"I'll be seein' ya m'lady," He chuckled, backing up with a tip of his hat. His eyes glittered with mirth as he retreated, "Don't wait up for me now, y'hear?"

He let out a bark of laughter at the sudden, angry hissing noise she made before he threw open the compartment door to make his escape. He wouldn't have been surprised if she had fired off a shot from one of her spirits at him for making a comment like he had.

Hurrying back through the compartments, he ducked back out the way he came, jumping back on his impatiently waiting horse and galloping back to the front of the train where his brother was waiting.

"Alright Black Steel!" He shouted at him, "I got what we came here for! Let's move out!"

"Took ya long enough runt." Gajeel growled as he backed away from the conductor and hopped on the patiently waiting Lily's back.

The two quickly galloped away to meet up with their sister, seemingly ignoring the train starting up again behind them.

"So what took you so long?" Gajeel grumbled as they joined Wendy, "Ain't like there were that many shippin' cars on this train."

Natsu smirked, "Ran into Miss Heartfilia." He replied, "Her pa's been upset by all the train robberies lately an' hired her guild to help protect 'em."

"You what?" Gajeel asked in surprise, certain he would've heard it if there had been any fighting, "What happened?"

"It was a civilized talk." Natsu smirked, "I promised her I wasn't there for her keys or the people, and she demanded to know why I was there." He pulled out the folder and handed it to Gajeel, "Speakin' of which, she wasn't real happy to find out Hades was usin' her pa's railroad to ship things."

"Hmph. I wonder why." Gajeel drawled as he flipped the folder open and began reading, "I'm more surprised she let you get away with this. It'll cause hell at the next station."

"She handed it to me." Natsu replied and shrugged when Gajeel snapped his attention to him, "I promised not to terrorize anyone if she handed it over. She says she'll meet up later to help me figure out who we need to hit."

In retrospect he wasn't entirely sure he believed her, but at least he'd gotten the information they wanted. They could still do this the hard way if she didn't help them out.

He shrugged and lifted a shoulder, "Figured it couldn't hurt. There are a lot of names on that list and only three of us. It'd take a damn long time for us to find out which one of these guys is 'Hades'."

"Yeah, there's nothing like a name like that which instills comforting feelings in a person," Wendy replied, her brow creasing. But she gave Natsu a somewhat sly look, "Seems like you and Miss Heartfilia are starting to get along."

"Wendy," Natsu growled at his little sister, who merely let out a giggle in response.

Gajeel huffed under his breath, looking over the pages of information.

"You're right runt, this is a lot to go through, and damn if some of these names are familiar. Probably all rich folk. Not our crowd to tell 'em apart," Gajeel sighed.

"So when are you and the lady gonna meet up to pick through this?" He asked.

Natsu blinked, freezing as he realized they hadn't in fact set a time or date to meet up.

He swallowed nervously and gave his brother a sheepish smile.

Gajeel just let out a low groan and rubbed a hand across his face. He muttered an irritated 'great' under his breath.

"Guess we're going back to Magnolia to wait her out, aren't we?" Wendy filled in the blanks.

Natsu laughed and tugged back on Happy's reins to pull him back on his hind quarters. The horse made out an excited noise as he turned, balancing on his hooves.

"Sounds like a good 'n proper plan to me!" Natsu crowed, "'Sides, it's a nice enough place to relax and wait until the lady gets back!"

It was time to head back to Fairy Tail's home town.

-::-

Lucy sighed as she finally stumbled through the door to her room. She'd had to explain herself more than once to the station manager over the lost manifests, and had finally gotten annoyed enough with him she'd pulled rank and told him to compare notes with the _last_ station if he didn't believe her.

After that had been the tiring trip home and reporting the mission complete to Master Makarov. Thankfully, he'd taken one look at her and had told her to go get some rest for a few days. Which was really the best news she'd heard all day.

Except no sooner had she walked in then she was acutely aware there was someone else there. In fact he was sitting at her desk, feet propped up, peeling an orange, with a broad smirk on his face.

"You!" She screeched in outrage, "What are _you_ doing here? Get out!"

"Aw, what's wrong?" Natsu asked with a grin, his thumb pressed against the back edge of the knife without stopping at the interruption, "You said we could meet up to go over the manifests right?"

"That wasn't an invitation to invade my house and make yourself at home!" Lucy shouted, picking up a pillow and chucking it at him with surprising accuracy, "Now get out!"

"Well how else was I supposed to meet up with you?" Natsu protested around the sudden mouthful of pillow, and shook it off, "I mean, it's not like we set a time or anything."

"You couldn't have written a letter?" Lucy demanded, her face flushing at his gall, "Or gone by the guild? You just decided the best thing to do was to invade my home and wait for me? On the _same_ day? Do you have _any_ idea the kind of day I've had thanks to you?! And get your feet off my desk!"

"Not my problem, you couldn't have just lied and blamed the other station for misplacing the manifest to save yourself some trouble?" Natsu drawled, ignoring Lucy's request as he slowly carved away the peel of the orange into a spiral.

He yelped as Lucy shoved hard on his legs to push him off the desk. They slammed back to the floor and he levelled her an unimpressed look.

"I have more morals than a ruffian like yourself. I don't lie to profit," Lucy said haughtily.

Much to her annoyance, this only seemed to amuse Natsu further.

"If ya say so Miss Lucy," Natsu stood up, waving the package of papers in front of her, "Broke the wax seal and everythin' just to check to see if any names stood out. Turns out you were right. I don't recognize a single name besides yours."

"Of course I was," Lucy grumbled, snatching the papers irritably and flipping through them. As much as it annoyed her that Salamander was there, the least she could do was try and get him out as quickly as possible.

She spread out the papers over her desk he had previously been putting his dirty boots all over and scooted into her seat, giving him an annoyed look, "You know Salamander, it's improper for a man to be in a ladies quarters uninvited."

A gleeful smile seemed to spread over his face as he leaned in closer to her, a hand dropping on the backrest of her chair. His face dipped in closer as he smirked at her.

"There's plenty about me that's improper Miss Lucy," He purred sweetly.

He enjoyed watching her go blank faced with shock for several moments as she processed that, but the positively devilish light that lit up her face once she had sent tingles down his spine. Just what was she planning?

"Oh, I'm quite certain of _that_ Mr. Salamander." She purred back in the same tone, that was belied only by the sparking rage in her eyes, "I doubt there's been a proper bone in your body for quite some time. Assuming you ever had one."

Natsu's eyes widened at that, and her barely caught her triumphant smirk as she pointedly turned back to the manifests. He was far too busy internally cackling that she'd responded in kind to his little tease. He hadn't thought she had it in her as uptight as she seemed to be.

"Natsu." He grinned at her in delight, causing her to blink and look up at him in confusion, "My name is Natsu." He elaborated, "You can call me that."

She just raised one of those delicate eyebrows at him and shrugged. However, he found he didn't mind that. It was probably the warmest reception he could expect to telling her his name.

She turned her attention back to the papers again and pulled out a pen, "Hmmmmm... most of these are perfectly legitimate business men and women." She mused, apparently determined to ignore his invasion of her space.

Something that, perversely, made him want to do something else to irritate her. She was gorgeous when she was mad, and getting under her skin was too much fun! It was an irrational desire, and not a very smart one if his instincts had anything to say about it, but as she wasn't turning him away he stayed right where he was.

Eventually she reached out across her desk for her inkwell and a quill, dragging them towards her to lightly scratch a tally mark next to the names that seemed questionable to her.

Natsu tapped his fingers as he watched, his eyes somewhat narrow as she went along the list, ticking names and chewing her bottom lip.

"Now Miss Lucy, these wouldn't happen to be the names of those who are in competition with Heartfilia rails, would they?" Natsu asked her lightly, "We're not going to be doing you a favor by running down your father's competition, are we?"

Lucy gave him an annoyed look, lifting the quill up to tickle along the underside of his chin with its feathered tip.

"Perhaps, but I trust you have enough smarts between your ears to vet whichever names I give you," She gave him a coy smile, her irritation flaring in her eyes and at war with her amusement, "If you happen to do my father's business a service along the way, it would hardly be my fault. Especially as I can only give you the names of those I personally find suspicious," She gave him an obnoxiously sweet smile that made Natsu's insides turn all weird and goopy, "After all, you _did_ want my help didn't you?"

"Of course." Natsu purred back silkily, shoving down the weird reaction he was having to her smile, "After all, who better to help decipher these names than the Heartfilia Heiress herself?"

He didn't miss the angry spark that lit up in her eyes at his remark. Or the way she looked like she would love nothing more than to cram the manifest itself down his throat and kick him out the window.

However, she didn't do either as she very deliberately took a slow breath, probably meant to be disguised as a sigh, and shoved the papers in his face.

"Your list sir." She growled with a saccharine smile, "May you find what you're looking for."

She stood up, forcing him to take a step back, "Now, is there anything else you would like while you're here?"

The repressed violence in her voice told him immediately what the correct answer had better be, but Natsu wasn't able to resist as he tucked the papers safely away and prowled back into her personal space.

"Oh, I can think of _many_ things I would like while I was here." He purred into her ear, only to dance away as she shifted her weight, clearly aiming for a strike.

He darted over to her window and grinned, "Thanks for the information Miss Lucy! Until next time!"

He laughed as her inkwell smashed against the window sill, just as he slithered out and right onto Happy's back.

Lucy sprinted to the window, just in time to see Salamander - Natsu, galloping off, laughing as he escaped from her chambers.

"Oh that-" Lucy grumbled, trying to ignore all the muttering and gasps she heard from people on the street. A man being alone in a ladies' room outside of a brothel? Especially one of Lady Heartfilia's standing?

She would never be able to explain it.

She groaned, somewhat dismayed. How on earth was she going to talk her way out of this one? Cana and Levy were going to have fit over the rumors.

Deciding to think on it later, Lucy just sighed and shuttered her window to the curious whispering Natsu's visit invited.

* * *

 **Just wanna say real quick, thank you to everyone who reviewed! You guys rock, and enjoy your well earned preview! :)**

 _Anna leaned forward and rested her chin on her hands, pinning Lucy with an intent look, "Lucy, it's perfectly obvious."_

 _It was obvious? How was it even remotely obvious? She hadn't left anything out, and even if it was found she could explain it away! It was her train that had gotten hit after all. It was only natural she'd take an interest in figuring out what the bandits wanted right?_

 _"Your mother had the exact same look on her face when she fell in love." Anna continued, oblivious to Lucy's thoughts, and the way they came screeching to a halt at the word love._

 _"WHAT?" Lucy yelped, "You think I'm in love?!"_


	7. Bee in Your Bonnet

**Good evening ladies and gents! You've got me, Mslead today! Here is your Sunday chapter of Wild Aces! Again if anyone missed it, this fic has changed to a bi-weekly schedule! That means we are updating on WEDNESDAY and SUNDAY. I won't hold you up from your chapter! Back into the Wild West!**

 **CHAPTER 7**

 _ **Bee in Your Bonnet**_

 _An idea_

* * *

While Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy were off searching and crossing names off the list Lucy provided, the weeks bled past an entire lunar cycle. But unfortunately, their search, while thorough, never pointed up towards the stars.

There, hidden among the clouds, was a flying fortress of cogs and wheels. Steam engines powered it, generated by mounds of coal loaded up onto its outer deck.

On its balcony stood two dark figures, one with streaming white hair and a bearing reminiscent of the slayers, and the other cloaked in what seemed to be shadows.

"How have your siblings acclimated to their new home?" the latter asked.

The former snorted, "As well as can be expected," He rumbled, "However, this won't do us any good if my remaining brothers and sister can't be captured. We need all the pieces."

"Not to worry my friend." The first soothed, "We'll get them. It's only a matter of time." He smiled a bit fondly, "Though I _am_ somewhat impressed at how methodically they're hunting for answers. I understand Hades is quite upset to the disruption of his supply line."

"I don't care what that human thinks." The other growled, and eyed his companion, "Too much time has gone by already; I won't wait forever Zeref."

He stomped off and Zeref's smile widened, "Of course not Acnologia. I wouldn't expect you to."

He leaned a little on his staff as another presence joined him, "Redouble your efforts." He commanded without turning around, "Send word once you've located them."

"Yes my lord Spriggan," The figure replied and retreated.

-::-

Back in Magnolia, Lucy settled down with a copy of her father's shipping manifest. While Salamander may have made off with a list for him to follow his leads on, that didn't mean Lucy hadn't been keeping an eye on those people herself.

The last thing she wanted to do was to send a group of bandits after possibly innocent people, and while she was sure the Slayers wouldn't do anything _too_ dangerous... she had to be certain.

Of course keeping tabs on the Slayers and their targets proved to be relatively simple. While she hadn't seen Natsu since that day he snuck into her room with his roguish smiles and cunning tongue, it wasn't hard to figure out where he was or where he was going.

After all, when he moved down the list and his presence was signaled by explosions, it tended to make itself into a bit of a noticeable pattern when one had a copy of the manifest he stole.

Lucy hummed as she checked off names, which ones the Slayers had already hit, and which ones were likely to be struck next.

Among the few remaining ones left, one stood out above them: Precht Gaebolg.

He was a very smart businessman, and Lucy had seen him with her father more than once. Nothing about him seemed bad on the surface, in fact he was extremely polite and often had very intelligent ideas.

She wasn't even sure why she marked him on Natsu's list really. But there was just something about the way he looked at her. A coldness to his eyes that unsettled her.

Not that she could prove anything. Nor did it help that the man was going to close a trading deal with her father in the near future. Saying anything without proof could destroy her father's reputation, and that was out of the question. So for now, she had to put her uneasiness aside until she had a chance to find out for sure. A task she was not overly fond of. Which reminded her, she was due to attend one of his evening events in just one week's time to assist in negotiating part of the agreement.

She grimaced at the thought. This was one aspect of her station she hadn't been able to shake any more than the dresses that were increasingly more hindrance than help, and she hated it. Hated having to appear at these ridiculous parties where no one had fun, and hated getting leered at by a bunch of old men three times her age.

However, her father had gone out of his way to remove as many of her social obligations as possible, and had been tremendously supportive of her following her dream. So the few times he did call on her she couldn't really say no.

At least the trip wouldn't be completely tedious. Her aunt was due to arrive soon, and would be going with her.

The thought brought a smile to her face, and she quickly put the manifest flat on her desk and got up. Anna's coach should be arriving soon and she definitely wanted to make sure she was there to greet it.

She smiled a little more as she double checked her appearance in a small hand mirror she kept carefully placed on her sidetable. It was burnished silver and a gift from Anna. Lucy smiled happily at the memory. Since her mother's death they had become very close, and she couldn't wait to see her role model again.

After all, Anna was a woman who was still single and living on her own. Something that was practically unheard of in some parts, especially as she did not have magic to her in the same way Layla and Lucy did. It was inspiring, and Lucy had long striven to live her life the same way her aunt did.

She set the mirror down and reached for her fan with a grimace. The heat was, as usual, intense today, and she couldn't help wondering again if it would be better or worse to change her dresses for pants or something equally light.

Of course, it would be an enormous scandal if she did, but she was starting to think it might be worth it just to keep from melting. It made her long for the cooler environment back at the Heartfilia estate, or the beach where Everlue's mansion had been.

The breeze off that would go a long way towards making her less miserable.

A light tap to her door cut off her mutinous thoughts and Lucy nearly jumped right out the window. Diving for her manifest, she shoved it right out of sight underneath a stack of books.

"Lucy? It's Anna, I'm coming in - your landlady left me the key," The familiar voice drifted over, and Lucy all but flung herself over her stack of papers to try and hide what she was working on.

Her aunt was probably the most shrewd woman she had ever met next to Erza and her own mother, and Lucy was determined not to let her catch wind of what she was planning.

Jude may have been extremely supportive of her new lifestyle, but Lucy very much doubted he would appreciate her poking into the personal life of a man he considered a friend. Not to mention, her own personal safety at the cost of snooping into the lives of the rich and influential.

The door creaked open, Anna stepping through looking tired from her travels but still very happy.

She looked just like Lucy's mother had, with shiny blond hair twisted up at the crown of her head in a decorative bun. Her hair was styled like a high class lady, but by the way she was shoving errant locks out of her face Lucy figured she wasn't a fan of the style.

"Ah, there's my favorite niece!" Anna swept in, her gown brushing across the floor. She lifted her arms up in a welcoming gesture, smile spreading over her face, "Too caught up to meet your aunt for her visit?"

"Aunt Anna!" Lucy breathed happily, giving up on her attempt to hide her work in favor of running over to her mother's sister, "You're early!"

"Surprise!" Anna laughed as she pulled Lucy into a tight hug, twirling her around a bit, "Goodness you've grown since I last saw you!"

She grinned as she playfully turned Lucy around for an inspection, "I see the Heartfilia blood has bred true in you." She chuckled, "You look more like your mother every day."

Lucy blushed a little at the compliment, pleased to know she looked so much like her mother. Layla's memory had started to get soft around the edges, and it was nice to know that others agreed with her memories.

"I apologize for arriving early." Anna continued as she pulled off her gloves with a sigh of relief, "We made better time than we expected."

"That's alright Aunt Anna." Lucy replied easily, "You're not that early, and I would rather you be a little early than late for some reason."

Anna smiled as Lucy headed into the kitchen to fix some tea, "I know you're tired, but once you've rested some I can show you around Magnolia." She glanced over at her aunt, "Did father tell you about what he was doing with Duke Everlue's land?"

"No." Anna replied, "But I heard about it anyway. It's a marvelous idea honestly, and I think once the Crocus gold craze dies down there will be a lot of people willing to move into an area with a ready supply of water and arable land." She flashed Lucy a sly grin, "Your guild might even move in that direction."

"I hope so!" Lucy replied fervently, "I'm already trying to sell the idea to Master Makarov, but it's slow going."

"I can't really blame him." Anna mused, "Business is good out here while you're catering to the townsfolk and the surrounding area. But once it migrates elsewhere I imagine he'll be more receptive."

"It's not just that," Lucy sighed, "Fairy Tail has always been in Magnolia, for us to pack up the guild and move it would be like trying to transplant the church and move it somewhere else!"

Anna laughed, patting a hand to her nieces shoulder, "Again. I wouldn't worry so much about that either. From what I've heard, your father's plans involve a certain amount of expansion of Magnolia into Everlue's seized lands."

"So long as it's all Magnolia, I'm sure old man Makarov won't care where Fairy Tail sets up camp," Anna let out a carefree laugh, her face lighting up happily.

Lucy smiled back, pleased with the news herself. Fairy Tail was a permanent fixture of Magnolia, but it didn't by any means have a permanent building. It was really more of a shack to get the jobs to come in.

With that thought in mind, Lucy was certain she could sell the idea to Makarov. After all, the idea of a guild hall seemed fabulous. Magnolia as it stood was almost a ghost town on its own.

This would certainly shift a lot in the favor of her argument.

"Oh I recognize that look in your eyes," Anna smirked, "You're planning something wicked."

She slid around Lucy, her keen eyes sweeping the room, "Something that doesn't have to do with the other scheme you're planning."

Lucy felt like she was smacked by a stampede of wild buffalo.

"W-what? I don't know what you're-" She denied, even though it was already too late.

Anna gave her niece an amused look, "Lucy my dear, you have a long way to go before you can fool me." She chided lightly, "I grew up with your mother as my big sister after all."

"But I- I'm not..." Lucy spluttered, horrified at the idea of her father finding out about how she was _helping_ the outlaws who regularly robbed his trains, even if it was non-violently. Not that she had anything that directly linked to the Slayers, but that was hardly the point. Her father was a sharp man.

Anna leaned forward and rested her chin on her hands, pinning Lucy with an intent look, "Lucy, it's perfectly obvious."

It was obvious? How was it even remotely obvious? She hadn't left anything out, and even if it was found she could explain it away! It was her train that had gotten hit after all. It was only natural she'd take an interest in figuring out what the bandits wanted right?

"Your mother had the exact same look on her face when she fell in love." Anna continued, oblivious to Lucy's thoughts, and the way they came screeching to a halt at the word love.

"WHAT?" Lucy yelped, "You think I'm in love?!"

Of all the ridiculous... _preposterous_ things...

"I'm not in love!" She protested, blushing hotly at the very idea. A blush that was not helped in the slightest by the sudden memory of Natsu invading both her room and her personal space.

"Sure you aren't." Anna smirked, "And you're not blushing either!"

"W-well it's your fault for bringing up such an embarrassing thing!" Lucy huffed, annoyance and acute relief that her secret was safe warring in her.

Anna laughed, "So... who is he?" She purred, looking very eager for a juicy bit of gossip, "Someone from your guild?"

"I'm not seeing anyone!" Lucy exclaimed, "Really Aunt Anna. I'm not."

Anna gave her a somewhat amused look, as if she didn't wholly believe her when she said that. She shrugged and tapped Lucy's nose, her smile unwavering, "So you two are skirting around one another then? Ah, to be in love. It's such a wonderful thing!"

Lucy groaned, ducking her head away to hide her red face in her hands.

"Don't worry, I won't tell your father about you and your beau. You've kept it a secret from Jude for a reason I imagine," Anna laughed, unaware of how Lucy's mind flashed back to the roguish cowboy with a smile like the devil.

She had other reasons to keep her _acquaintance_ with Natsu a secret.

"Just be careful Lucy," Anna continued on with a more serious tone. Her hand rested onto Lucy's shoulder while her fingers tipped up her chin to make her make eye contact.

"Your father may not have put it together yet, but some bandits are going around attacking many of the men he does business with. It's an easy to miss pattern, but I like to keep an eye on such things. I wouldn't be surprised if they turn their attentions to you at some point," Anna's voice dropped in its concern.

"Please take care," She said earnestly, "Promise me."

Lucy felt a flush of guilt that she had been the one to sic Natsu and his gang on those men, but it had either been that or they attack the whole list. The excuse sounded feeble though, even in the corners of her mind. Maybe, if she was lucky, Natsu would find what he was looking for and leave the rest of those people alone. If he didn't she would hunt him down herself.

In the meantime she smiled softly at her aunt, a sharp edge to her smile, "Don't worry." She promised, "I'll be careful. And if something happens I'll remind them why the Heartfilia women are to be feared. Magic or not."

Anna studied her for a long moment and nodded briskly, "Alright." She smiled, "Now, tell me about some of the more interesting places around here, and your adventures! I want to hear all about them!"

Lucy laughed and happily launched into the story about what she'd been doing since she'd joined the guild. The friends she'd made there. And even her lament about the dresses becoming bothersome.

"Hm... I can see how the bustle would cause problems." Anna mused thoughtfully as she sipped her tea, "Perhaps we should do something about that."

"But what?" Lucy asked, hope tinged with frustration, "There's not much else I can wear that father will approve of."

Anna smirked, a wicked gleam entering her eyes, "Oh Lucy... you should know better than to underestimate a woman on a mission. Never you fear girl, I'll find something you can wear comfortably that your father won't fuss about."

Anna laughed as together they wandered out into the dust, off to find a tailor and plot together as only Heartfilia women could.

-::-

Not too far from Magnolia, overseeing the bluffs right where a train could be, Natsu ran a brush over Happy's coat. He kept his eyes outward, but let his hands and muscles remember the movements that came naturally to him.

Happy enjoyed a good brushing, which Natsu found unfortunate because there often wasn't enough time for him to give his horse a proper one with them being on the move as much as they were.

"Atta boy Happy, you're lookin' real nice now. Bet Carla will be real impressed, won't she bud?" Natsu grinned, earning him a pleased snort in the face from his horse.

Happy clomped his hooves in place, showing off by circling in his spot and huffing again.

"Alright alright. Take it down, you'll scare off dinner with all that racket," Natsu grunted and pressed his rough hands into his horse's short coat, dragging it up to his face to rest his forehead between his friend's eyes.

"Not that it'll matter to ya," He continued grumpily, "All you need is hay and oats."

"Natsu!" Wendy shouted from behind, and he turned to see her waving a roll of thick looking paper over her head, "Look what I managed to catch!"

Natsu turned to look at his sister, glancing down at where his brother was taking a cat nap in the sun. He gave Gajeel a firm kick to the shin, making sure to step back when his brother roared angrily awake.

"The hell're you doing runt?" Gajeel snarled, taking a snap at Natsu despite the fact he was out of immediate range. His little brother had, unfortunately, learned that particular lesson back when they were hatchlings.

"Wendy found something." Natsu smirked, not the least bothered by Gajeel's crankiness, "Figured you should probably get up off your lazy ass and see what."

"I'll show you lazy..." Gajeel rumbled darkly, but was sidetracked when Wendy shoved her roll of paper in his face.

"What's that?" He grunted irritably, and Wendy grinned impishly.

"Why that, big brother, is a copy of the newspaper. Perhaps you've seen one before?"

"Yeah, and what's so interestin' about that?" Gajeel grumbled as he began to unroll it only to stop as the page Wendy had marked unfurled before his eyes, "No way..."

"What is it?" Natsu asked as he squished around to read over Gajeel's shoulder, and his jaw promptly dropped, "Am I readin' that right?"

"You are," Wendy confirmed, looking more than a little smug, "Precht Gaebolg is holding his annual gala. It's supposed to be _the_ premiere event of the Harvest Festival. Everyone who's anyone will be there. And it's less than a week away!"

"So what?" Gajeel asked, not really caring about some fancy dress ball, "We ain't gonna be invited."

Wendy shot him an irritated glare, "Don't you see?" She asked, "If Precht is busy with his party then it's the perfect opportunity for one or two of us to sneak in and find things out! Not only will he be busy with his guests, but if we dress up like we are guests then we can move around more freely!"

"Ohhh, a party!" Natsu smirked, his hands settling over his belt, "Now we're talkin'! I've got this!"

He yelped when Gajeel smacked the back of his head, "She said _sneak_ ya runt. You don't exactly qualify."

Natsu snorted and rubbed his fingers through pink hair, "Don't you worry 'bout that. I may be loud, but you sure as hell would stick out worse 'n me with your long hair and metal shoved all over your face."

Gajeel scowled, unable to argue with that point. He could dress to the nines if he wanted, but there was no getting that _bandit_ look off him. Not with his scarred arms and piercings.

Natsu had that look to him as well, but he was definitely less wild looking. At least sometimes.

And if there was a buffet, he could be sure Natsu would at least not be noticed for a while until Precht was cleaned out of all his food.

"So we're gonna do it?" Wendy asked excitedly, and Natsu grinned broadly.

"You betcha! You can even be my date sis!"

"No way in hell!" Gajeel rumbled, "This ain't gonna be a real party. An' all kinda things could go wrong."

"All the more reason." Natsu argued reasonably, "If something happens I should have backup. And we already said your face wouldn't work in there." He flashed Wendy a wink, "Besides, it'd be rude to deny our little sister the chance to dress up!"

Wendy flushed a little bit, but didn't deny it. She'd been sort of hoping she could go to the party as soon as she'd seen the bulletin for it. Though she hadn't actually expected even one of her brothers to go for it.

She frowned a little, "But what do I wear? For that matter what will _you_ wear Natsu? We don't exactly keep fancy dress clothes around. We can't afford it!"

"Don't worry." Natsu assured her, hand creeping up to touch the smooth metal kept hidden under his shirt, "We've got some spare money, and I'm sure some of the shops in Magnolia will have something we can work with."

And if they didn't... he would think of something else. Because there was no way he was going to miss that party. Wendy's hopeful smile was bright enough for Natsu to put his vendetta to the side for the moment and give her a night of dress up and niceties they weren't used to.

And it had nothing to do with the fact a certain blond might be there too.

He turned around, opening his shirt to thumb at the golden coin shimmering at his neck. Heart clenching, his nail rubbed around the rough edges.

For answers and a chance to get his family back, he'd do whatever it took.

* * *

 ** _Everyone's comments were so kind. I know Kytrin really appreciated everything you all said about hoping she was okay after Hurricane Irma. Especially from you guys who were also affected. We really appreciate you taking the time to check on her. And to anyone affected by the earthquake in Mexico or Hurricane Maria, please hang in there. I know it's rough but hopefully aid will get to everyone who needs it!_**

* * *

 _You guys more than earned your sneak peak of the next chapter, so here it is!_

 _Lucy tried to cover her reaction with a smile, grateful he couldn't see her hot cheeks through her mask, but from the way his lips twitched she suspected he'd noticed it anyway._

 _"Are you asking me to dance sir?" She asked, pleased her voice was so steady._

 _"And if I am?" He replied, his voice dropping to a slight purr that sent goosebumps up her arms, "Would you accept?"_


	8. Fandango

_**Hey guys! Kytrin here with your Wednesday chapter! I expect much screaming from it. Enjoy! :)**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 8**

 _ **Fandango**_ _  
From the Spanish, a big party with lots of dancing and excitement._

* * *

Lucy gathered up one of her finer gowns in her hands, tipping her hoop skirt up and out of its carriage as she flowed out in a rustle of silk and satin. It really was a beautiful dress and she felt like a princess wearing it. Her father's tailor had done a marvelous job keeping it cut to her size with a flattering shape in a lovely mix of pearl and amethyst, dyed magically to obtain the rich color. Jude Heartfilia wished his daughter to attend this party hosted by Mister Precht Gaebolg, and as such had not spared any expense to make his daughter shine out among the others.

She almost felt bad that she would be using this opportunity for something besides schmoozing to benefit her father's business. The guilt was easily pushed aside however, as she knew her father would never abide having business partners that were up to illegal activities. Besmirching the Heartfilia name went against what he believed in.

Still, she needed proof if nothing else and she was determined to either clear Precht's name, or sink it.

Adjusting the pearl-lined mask covering half of her face, Lucy swept into Precht's impressive estate, allowing herself to sink into a perfect curtsey to the doorman.

Hesitant about the masks at first and the strange themed party Precht was hosting, Lucy quickly warmed up to the idea. Everyone was wearing a mask, making everyone a stranger and a mystery. It was perfect to blend in with the crowd, to hide her identity from potential suitors and perhaps find out information freely without being disturbed. The bulletin called it a "Masquerade" straight from the customs of the Alvarez Kingdom.

Lucy smiled as she and her aunt were quickly enveloped into the crowd and made their way around the edge of the room where the buffet was waiting. The dancing hadn't started just yet. That would wait until after they were formally welcomed by their host. So for the moment most were standing, or sitting, and simply chatting while they nibbled on the delicacies Precht had arranged.

"Quite a turnout." Anna mused quietly, her dress a compliment to Lucy's without being identical, "I didn't realize Gaebolg was this popular."

"He's done exceptionally well for himself thanks to his connection with father." Lucy replied softly, "Without the Heartfilia rail lines he would very quickly find himself with a supply problem."

Anna glanced shrewdly at Lucy, "And you don't like him much do you?"

Lucy sighed and shrugged, "I'm not sure." She admitted honestly, "He's never been less than polite, but..."

Anna nodded without saying anything else, and smiled, "Well, don't worry about it for now." She soothed, "Just enjoy yourself. Your meeting isn't until later."

Lucy's lips twitched at the way her aunt had said 'your', but she just nodded. Truthfully, she would be grateful for Anna's presence under any other circumstances. Her aunt might not have been the runaway success her father had become with his railroads, but she was acutely business savvy and successful in her own right regardless. It was practically a Heartfilia trait.

However, in this case, even if she was invited to the meeting, it would probably be a disaster if she showed up and Precht was guilty. At least this way she could keep her aunt from worrying.

She flicked open her fan out of habit as she turned to eye the food waiting for them. They'd eaten just before setting out, but that had still been over an hour ago, and Precht's cook had outdone himself on the menu. Perhaps a small plate to nibble on wouldn't hurt?

Anna clearly had the same idea as she suddenly found an empty plate being presented to her. The two women grinned at each other and began to help themselves. After all, it would be a shame for it to go to waste.

The women wandered off to pick up a few things they wanted, Lucy breaking off down the buffet line when she spotted a smattering of tasty looking buns. They looked warm and soft, which appealed to Lucy's heart.

Forgetting her manners for a moment, she reached forward in her eagerness, completely missing the hand already halfway on its journey to the same destination. Fingers brushing against tanned, and somewhat scarred looking knuckles, Lucy swiftly pulled her hand away in embarrassment.

The man whose hand she had touched, turned to look at her, amusement sparkling in his smile. He too was wearing a mask, but instead of a delicate one like Lucy wore, his was a deep burgundy, lined with what looked like rows of glittering scales.

"Apologies sir, my eagerness got the better of me," Lucy dipped into a quick curtsey, her cheeks burning pink under her mask. Really, where had all her manners gone?

The man watched her, his eyes dark behind his mask. He made no move to bow to her as was proper for a gentleman and a lady, but instead shifted his weight to the side in a way that seemed almost casual.

His smile was easy, and something about it calmed Lucy.

"Plenty to go around I think ma'am," his said softly. Lucy felt a pleasant curl in her stomach at the sound of his voice. It was like a warm breeze on a cold desert night, and just as comforting as his smile.

She could tell by the firmness of his jaw and that roguish smile, that he was handsome under his mask. Confident too if he was brash enough to ignore propriety.

"Ladies first," he shifted out of the way, opening his stance so she could have enough room to freely take a few of the buns she had been eyeing.

Lucy blushed a little more, but she flashed him a grateful smile as she reached over and delicately plucked three of the rolls onto her plate. She gestured for him to go ahead and bit into one with a soft moan of pleasure.

It was absolutely perfect.

Fresh from the oven, tender, and a brushing of butter on top while the inside was full of some kind of duck hash.

"That good huh?" The man asked, an amused slant to his mouth as he bit into one of his own.

Lucy felt her cheeks heating back up, but couldn't help grinning back at him as he proved his own comment by groaning in obvious bliss, "Yes. It's that good."

He chuckled a little, seeming to struggle as he was unable to laugh because his mouth was full, and Lucy was pleased that he at least had pleasant manners if a lack of propriety.

"So it is," He replied after a moment and eyed the very long set of tables speculatively, "It kind of makes me want to try a little of everything now."

"That would be quite a meal!" Lucy laughed as she took another bite, "I'm fairly sure that our host doesn't know the meaning of half measures."

She didn't notice the way he momentarily stilled before his grin was back in place, "Maybe not." He conceded, "But I've got the room for it."

He cocked his head back, a silent invitation for Lucy to join him if she pleased, and she found the idea was quite enticing while she waited for Mister Gaebolg to make his appearance.

"I'm certain the appetite required to sample all of these may not exist in this world," Lucy took a delicate bite from her roll, watching as this only seemed to make her mystery man smile wider.

"Perhaps, but you've never seen one like mine," the man lifted his elbow to her, his head lowering in an amused tilt to his head. There was no denying the slight brag to his voice, but it was brushed away as easily as it rose, "If I fail, at least I'll have company?"

Lucy heard the hopeful tinge to his voice, and laughed, accepting his arm. His grin turned absolutely boyish in his glee she was going along with his foolishness.

"Tell me, what of the darling Jane you escorted here? I imagine she won't be happy about you disappearing with a mystery woman," Lucy teased, assuming a man like him would have someone to accompany him.

He only seemed to laugh harder at her words, his eyes glittering behind his mask like the spark of stars and fire. Lucy fought the impulse to reach up and tug the mask from his face, eager to see what he looked like.

"No doubt she's off breaking hearts left 'n right miss," He chuckled.

"We should have some fun before the dancing starts and everyone starts tramplin' everyone to get to all the pretty ladies," he continued, voice light and amused as if the whole situation was funny to him.

Lucy scoffed, making a falsely offended noise in the back of her throat, "why sir, should I feel slighted since I'm not apart of those games?"

He turned towards her, cottoning on to her humor, his smile spreading wider.

"Of course not miss, I just got a head start is all," he said somewhat roughly, his smile pleased and sending warm shivers down her spine.

Lucy tried to cover her reaction with a smile, grateful he couldn't see her hot cheeks through her mask, but from the way his lips twitched she suspected he'd noticed it anyway.

"Are you asking me to dance sir?" She asked, pleased her voice was so steady.

"And if I am?" He replied, his voice dropping to a slight purr that sent goosebumps up her arms, "Would you accept?"

Lucy cocked her head at him, as if considering the proposal, "I might be persuaded." She replied, her lips twitching into a slight smirk, "Ask me again when the dancing starts."

Her new companion burst into delighted laughter and he leaned a little closer to her, "With pleasure miss." He rumbled softly before pulling away, his boyish grin returning, "Now... shall we see about my challenge?"

"Lead on good sir!" Lucy laughed, a little out of breath at how quickly he seemed to change moods, but interested in seeing what else he had in store. It was a distinctly refreshing change from the formal stuffiness that usually accompanied dealing with the wealthy and noble.

He happily led her to the end of the buffet line, somehow cutting a path easily through the press of people talking business, politics, and political arrangements, and scooped up a plate. Lucy was aware they were being eyed curiously as he began to pile a little of everything in range onto it, and basked in the pleasure that _she_ was having fun here. At least for the moment.

By rights she should be mingling and talking politics and such with the others, but she found she didn't really care at the moment. Anna was doing an admirable job of that for her, and she would be dutiful and deal with the meeting later.

It also didn't escape her notice that more than one gaze was envious.

Not because they were jealous of her, or who she was with, but because they were apparently a pair that had achieved something few of their station ever did. And that made her all the more determined to make the most of her moments with her mystery man as he happily worked his way through the buffet, periodically offering her choice tidbits.

He seemed oblivious to the stares, occasionally teasing and laughing with Lucy as they tried many things. It turned out his appetite was truly a terrifying thing, because she had long since been unable to continue while he carried on taking bites here and there.

At least until Precht Gaebolg stood at the top of his stairs, calling for everyone's attention.

Her mystery man stopped on a dime, his smile falling off as he took to pulling his full attention towards him. Lucy blinked in surprise at the show of intensity, unable to get a gauge on her partner's face thanks to the mask he was wearing.

"Good evening everyone," Precht said, his voice even and calm. His arms were behind his back, stature straight and somewhat foreboding. The man had a severe look to him that allowed very little room for nonsense.

He was very serious, a look which was aided by the eyepatch covering one side of his face and the long, neatly groomed beard and mustache that was pure white.

His single good eye made sure to fall on every one of his guests, scanning the crowd as a whole.

"I wish to thank you all for coming here tonight. I look forward to speaking to each and every one of you," Precht spoke generously.

Lucy breathed out, the room suddenly feeling much warmer. She whipped out her fan and used it generously, her eyes flashing over to her mystery man.

"It's warm," She mumbled, seeming to catch his attention. He flashed her a small smile, his eyes flashing behind his mask, and just like that it seemed as if the temperature once more cooled.

She breathed out in relief, but kept her fan handy just in case it happened again. It was a curious moment, but given how crowded it was she supposed she probably should just be grateful it hadn't happened before.

She hardly noticed as Precht ended his speech and opened the dancing, but the music starting up and the sudden movement among the crowds jolted her back to the present. She glanced up at her companion to grinned down at her and boldly curled his hand around her waist, sending excited shivers up her spine.

"Would the lady care for a dance?" He rumbled in a faintly growling voice that had her insides going crazy.

"I would be delighted sir." Lucy replied, slightly breathlessly, and smiled up at him as he properly took his place and escorted her out to the dance floor.

The first dance was slow, formal, and oddly intimate as Lucy could practically feel the heat radiating from her partner the entire time. But after that the music picked up tempo, and before Lucy quite knew what had happened she was laughing as she got spun and twirled enthusiastically.

It seemed her mystery man was as much a dancer as he was an eater, and very strong as he easily lifted her and carried her weight as the dances called for it. And a good thing too as every brush against his hard body had her heart doing excited little flips, and tingles shooting through her.

"Where did you learn to dance like that?" She asked breathlessly as they headed off the floor for a sip of something cooling.

"My mother taught me some of it." He replied with a hint of wistful sadness Lucy instantly recognized, "My dad taught me the rest."

She smiled at him, "Well you learned very well." She complimented.

"My little sister loves to dance still, she would have my head if I let myself get rusty," he gave her a lopsided grin and he nudged her lightly with his arm, "It'd be impolite for me to take all the credit though now wouldn't it? I had a good partner."

Lucy very much doubted that. Sure, for the right dance she was proficient at dancing, but doing something as spirited as what they had just done - it wasn't what she was talented at, that was for sure.

His eyes lifted up towards the staircase, and he got up, inclining his head towards Lucy.

"I'm afraid I have to do some actual work while I'm here," he gave her a crooked, almost wistful smile.

He took the hand she extended to him, seeming to stare at it for second like he didn't know what to do with it.

While Lucy was disappointed to be losing out on her partner, she knew it was for the best considering she too would be pulled away from him soon anyway. Still, it was somewhat amusing to see him hovering over her hand, somewhat awkwardly.

She watched with undisguised amusement as his head lowered over the top of her head, in a bow as was proper. Her gaze lifted over his head, still amused over how he seemed to struggle with manners in a place so full of high society.

At least, that was until she felt warm lips pressing into the back of her hand. Lucy's heart leapt up into her throat, strangling in her lungs and making her chest and cheeks flare pink.

His eyes lifted towards her as she stared at him in shock, mouth parted.

"I'd reckon it'd be my pleasure if we meet again, miss," he purred to her, his voice again shivering through her stomach, "thank ya for the dance and company."

"M-my pleasure," Lucy stammered.

He chuckled softly, his teeth flashing white in the soft lighting, and pulled away with clear reluctance before turning and melting into the crowd.

Lucy watched him leave with a kind of achy longing that made her want to chase after him and pull him back. Not that she could now. It was far too late. So she sighed regretfully, and fanned herself, hoping to cool off before she dealt with Precht. There was little that escaped that man's notice and she wasn't particularly keen on him discovering she'd enjoyed herself tremendously at his party.

Thankfully, it didn't take more than a few minutes before the excited sizzle in her belly settled into something calmer. She pushed away from the rail she'd been resting on and gathered herself as she headed towards Precht's office. It was still a bit early for their meeting, but if she was going to find any evidence now was the time to look.

She smiled and nodded as she wove her way skillfully through the crowd, amused at the sight of a girl, a few years younger than her, dressed in blue and white and being doted on by no less than six young men. Whoever she was she certainly knew how to have the boys eating out of her hand that was for sure.

She shook her head a little and gradually the guests and other people standing around thinned. She unconsciously tensed as she entered the more private part of the estate and reminded herself firmly that she had every right to be there as she made her way to the study and tapped on the door once before stepping inside.

She was expecting no response, or Precht's voice telling her to enter when she did. She was not expecting to hear the sounds of someone scrambling as she opened the door.

She was not expecting to see Natsu standing there looking very flustered and tense for a fight even less.

Lucy's jaw hung slack as she stared at him for a few crucial seconds while he also stared at her, slack jawed.

Luckily Lucy gathered her wits fast enough to whip into Precht's office and slam the door shut behind her.

She ripped off her mask, which seemed more of a hinderance to her now that she was no longer mingling with the rest of the masses and stormed up to the bandit, who seemed to be shrinking further backwards by the moment.

"What are you _doing_ here Natsu?" Lucy hissed, poking a finger directly into his chest. His shirt and duster looked like they were on crooked, like he had to adjust them in a great hurry.

For once, he looked completely at a loss for words as he stared at her, his hands halfway up and uncurled. Slowly his lips sealed together before parting once more, blinking owlishly at her.

"Miss Heartfilia, uh... wasn't expecting to see ya tonight," he croaked, somewhat hoarsely.

Lucy's eyes narrowed, her attention squarely on the man pressing back against the desk in surrender.

"That is not what I asked you, _sir_." Lucy said somewhat harshly, "I'm about to meet with Mister Gaebolg on behalf of Heartfilia Railway. I don't need a bandit snooping around his office!"

In all honesty, she didn't even understand why he was taking all this as seriously as he was. She didn't know precisely what Natsu was aiming for in this ongoing adventure of his, but Lucy was determined to see through it.

Because there was a dark thought she had, one she couldn't quite shake.

One she was almost afraid to voice aloud.

She shook her head to clear it, but Natsu's gaze seemed to find her in that intense way of his. It was as if he had picked out a chink in her armor.

"I'm lookin' for clues, figure Precht is a hard enough ticket to hit on a train. Not when there's a standin' invite into his home," Natsu explained.

Lucy sucked in a breath and huffed irritably that Nasu had clearly decided to replicate _her_ plan. It was a little annoying. As if he was determined to not only live up to every stereotype she'd ever heard about bandits, but also break them in the same breath.

Unfortunately, now wasn't the time to quibble about it. If either of them were going to get what they needed and get away unscathed the needed to work fast.

"Alright." She said as she took half a step back, "Have you found anything yet?"

Natsu blinked at her a little, as if surprised by the sudden change in her demeanor and she shot him an annoyed look.

"Natsu, we don't have time for your gawping. My meeting is in a few minutes. Now, have you found anything?"

Natsu blinked again and shook his head, "Not yet." He frowned a little, "I thought you were working with him?"

Lucy rolled her eyes as she began moving expertly around the study, "I have as much invested in finding out the truth as you do, and Precht rubs me wrong. If he didn't I wouldn't have pointed you towards him."

Natsu shrugged a little, willing to concede the point, "What happens if we find something?" He asked curiously, "To you I mean."

Lucy shrugged, "I'll inform my father." She replied, "He'll deal with it from there."

Of course she would. He should've known that. Natsu shook his head a little to try and clear it. The shock that the gorgeous woman he'd so happily flirted and danced with earlier was actually Lucy was throwing him off his game. And that was the last thing he needed.

The memory wouldn't go away though.

She'd been so pliable and eager in his arms before. And so hungry for his touch. She might not have realized it, but he'd seen the signs of attraction. The way her pulse fluttered at her neck. The way she unconsciously leaned into him. And most telling, the hot scent of lust whenever he'd held her close. She'd burned for him on the dance floor, and damn if he didn't want to make her burn again.

He grit his teeth together, huffing out a low sigh to try and screw his head on straight. He hadn't been expecting a Lucy-sized wagon smashing into the room and disrupting all of his on the fly-plans, but now that she was there, he had to try and recover. At least he had already hurriedly changed from what he was wearing at the party. The last thing he wanted was for things to end up nasty and him burning away all of his clothing in a fight. That sometimes happened when he wasn't wearing his own stuff.

He was _not_ running out of Precht's house as naked as the day he was born.

Not unless he had to.

"Alright then," Lucy hissed and looked around the room, "Help me look! We can't keep you here for long! Precht is going to find you here and I have no idea how I'd explain you to him if he shows up!"

Her concerned voice sprang him back into action, and Natsu nodded, pushing off the desk to twist around and rifle through his papers. There had to be _something_ about his siblings here. Some clue to be found.

He didn't even want to think about the fact he was focusing so hard on finding a clue about that to distract him from the woman a few feet from him.

So he was attracted to her. So what? Natsu didn't need to stop his life because he was stuck with a crush. It didn't matter anyway. The woman was foul tempered on the best of days, and... quite nice the other times.

He shook his head.

He didn't know Lucy Heartfilia. She was a pretty face and nice company, but neither of those things took stock in the type of person they were.

Natsu had to keep telling himself that as they dug around Precht's office to find a scrap of information concerning Heartfilia Railways or his lost brothers.

Several tense moments passed in silence as they searched before Lucy sucked in a shocked breath. Natsu glanced over at her, and his irritation vanished to be replaced by concern at the pale look on her face.

"Lucy?" He asked softly, "What is it?"

She looked up at him jerkily, which made him even more nervous, and wordlessly handed over the small brown journal she'd been leafing through.

Natsu raised an eyebrow at her and looked down at the passage.

 _The most extraordinary thing has occurred today! By chance, I happened across the very soul I once dreamed of resurrecting. He appeared young. Younger than I imagined. But perhaps such is not surprising for one of his caliber. We spoke quite amenably for some time before he revealed himself to me, and only did so once I'd expressed my both my desire to meet my Lord and the reason for it._

 _Upon hearing my reason, he applauded my wish but regretfully informed me that such was impossible at this time. He then spoke eloquently of WHY the Grand Magic World was beyond our reach, and though it pains me to know my Lord Zeref cannot bring it about, I much better understand the reason for it._

 _However, my Lord is as gracious as he is wise and learned. He explained such a thing might be possible, but that to achieve such would require much work and preparation. Naturally, I pledged myself and my followers to him immediately. A pledge he accepted with gratitude, and has already given his first instructions to my followers._

 _For now, my role is to remain in the background. I cannot help be a trifle jealous of my followers for they have the more interesting tasks. Nevertheless, I understand how vital my role is, and there are no others who could hope to accomplish it as well. So I will do as my lord has instructed and await further communication from one of my Lord's allies. I only hope it will not be my Lord's friend Acnologia. He spoke little through our encounter, but I could not help feeling as though I was prey in the eyes of a predator. It was most unnerving._

 _More unnerving was the name. I cannot help feel as if I've heard it somewhere before. I shall have to research this._

The book nearly fell from Natsu's slack grip, his fingers trembling as that name whispered in the back of his head.

Acnologia.

"It's impossible, he can't be-" Natsu whispered, face pale even as he thought about the one whose name all the Slayers knew.

That clinched it. Precht _had_ to be Hades. If Acnologia was involved, and _he_ had tried to get his hands on Natsu...

"Natsu?" Lucy was alarmed by the complete way Natsu's face transformed after he read the book. Her hand found its way to his wrist, feeling heat rise off him from through his duster.

He seemed to snap out of it at her touch, gaze focusing back on her as his thoughts pieced themselves back together.

"What's the matter?" She asked, her brow creased with worry.

In her admittedly short time of knowing Natsu, she had never seen the normally confident outlaw looking so shaken. It unnerved her and made her footing loosen. It was like cracks in the foundation of what they were looking into had formed.

He took a breath and touched her shoulders, "Lucy this is..."

He froze, this time going stock still, cutting himself off in mid sentence.

"Someone's coming," He hissed instead, dropping the book back where they found it and he rushed to snag his bag on his way to clean up the mess he made.

Lucy, wondering how he could have possibly heard someone coming, wasn't going to argue with him. Especially since he seemed on high alert now.

They looked around, Natsu rushing to the window to escape through, just as Lucy heard a boot fall right outside the door.

"There's not enough time Natsu," Lucy hissed at the pale faced bandit. Her thoughts spun, knowing if he was caught here, especially in a room alone with _her_ , his neck would be stretching from the gallows by dawn.

"Quick!" Lucy lifted up the hoop of her gown, "Hide under here! Precht wouldn't dare check for intruders here!" She hissed, cheeks burning.

* * *

 _ **I wanna say a quick thank you to everyone who reviewed! You guys are awesome, and you definitely earned your preview! Enjoy!**_

 _He had no idea what she said next, too focused on the happy roar in his ears that reacted to the heat and the overflowing scent of Lucy. But all he knew, was the door was closing and Lucy whispering._

 _"The coast is clear."_

 _Natsu practically fell out from under her hoop skirt, wheezing for breath. He crawled out, his cheeks flushed and eyes hazy._

 _"I never knew a heiress could be so fresh," He growled, almost wincing over the tenor in his voice. It was rough, dark with intent, and far more wild than he liked exposing._


	9. Wrinkle

**Hey guys, it's Mslead with your Sunday update! Some of you guys who follow me on tumblr have noticed that Kytrin and I are working on a couple of projects old and new. We have a special Halloween fic that will be debuting on Halloween, and we also have Mythos in the editing phase. So you should expect to see Mythos come out after we finish posting Wild Aces. Kytrin and I are also working on a new story called Reset, which you can find the summary for on mine and Kytrin's tumblr page.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 9**

 _ **Wrinkle**_

 _Whim, fancy, a cunning trick or artful dodge_

* * *

There was a moment of stunned silence as Natsu stared at her like he'd never seen her before.

"You want me to what?"

Lucy huffed and tugged on him, "You don't have time to argue!" She hissed, "Get under here! Unless you prefer to be strung up by dawn?"

There was a moment where Natsu smiled, his grin flashing crookedly over his face. He canted his head at Lucy, unable to stop himself from making a smart remark, "Why Miss Heartfilia, that's awfully forward ain't it? Thought it was proper to take a fella out to dinner first?"

Her cheeks burned brighter than his fire, and Natsu felt totally satisfied by wasting a bit of extra time if it meant seeing that expression on her face. She pointed commandingly to the floor at her feet.

"Hush and get down Salamander!" She hissed, red faced.

Natsu hesitated for another moment, but the sound of a footstep that was audible even to her ears decided him as he dove under her dress.

She hastily dropped the hoop gown and smoothed it out, trying desperately not to think about how Natsu's face was practically smashed against her most intimate parts. Or that he was under there at all, and suddenly it was a lot warmer down there than she was used to.

She whipped out her fan and began fanning herself just as the door opened and Precht walked in.

He paused in surprise at the sight of her already there, "Miss Heartfilia? I was not expecting to find you here already." He glanced at the time, "I'm not late am I?"

"Oh no!" Lucy smiled assuring, "And even if you were I would completely understand." She bobbed a curtsy at him, "I apologize if I intruded, but I began to overheat after some wonderful dancing, and thought I might cool off better here."

The suspicious glint in his eyes vanished at that and he smiled genially, "Of course. It's no problem at all. Shall I send for some refreshments for you?"

Before she could respond he clapped his hands and a servant materialized at his elbow, "Some refreshments for Lady Heartfilia and myself for our meeting." He ordered, "And do be sure to bring some extra ice."

"You are too generous Lord Gaebolg." Lucy smiled over her fan as the servant vanished, "And my compliments to both your chef and your organizer for this party. It has been truly delightful!"

"I'm pleased to know you have been enjoying yourself Miss Heartfilia." Precht replied and gestured for her to sit, "Please. Make yourself comfortable." He smiled, "I see no reason to conduct our meeting in less than total comfort."

"That's very kind sir, but with all that dancing I think I'll favor stretching my legs a bit more if it's all the same?" Lucy smiled, feeling a sudden rush of hot breath against her inner thigh.

She nearly squeaked at the sensation, Natsu's presence already difficult to ignore with how he was currently crouched almost between her legs. Lucy's stomach flopped at the feeling of his broad shoulders hunched against her thighs.

She could feel the heat of the fire mage rolling off him, caged under her dress, and she wondered if this meeting with Mister Gaebolg would last long. Otherwise she feared she would soon pass out.

It took every ounce of her willpower not to think about how her body felt alight with nerves at his presence so close to her. Or the way it seemed to sway towards him when he braced his rough hands against her thighs. His weathered fingertips tickled against her garter and Lucy's legs clenched instinctively under her dress.

It caused Natsu to grip a little tighter, asserting enough of his strength to keep her from stomping on him or giving up their ruse. Still, the feeling of him down there was completely distracting.

"Are you sure dear?" Precht questioned, "You're looking a tad flushed."

Lucy fanned herself a little harder.

"It's nothing sir," Lucy smiled at him, "Shall we get started? My father is eager to begin a new trading route to the east coast soon. We understand you would like to be on the ground when that news bre-aks!"

The last bit cut off at a bit of a high pitch when she attempted to move closer to Precht's desk, only for an off guard Natsu to move closer, his sharp intake of breath blowing what felt like hot steam right into her bloomers. Or at least, that was what her imagination insisted happened.

Not that her imagination needed much prompting.

Natsu was doing his very best to keep himself quiet and curled up as inconspicuously as he could, but that didn't change the fact that he practically had his head buried between her legs and his nose in her crotch. It didn't help either that she kept moving and he had to keep his hands on her thighs to keep her steady. There was something entirely intimate about rubbing his hands against her garters and feeling the small bits of creamy skin in between.

It was almost enough to distract him from how stiflingly _hot_ it was under there. Some of it, he was sure, was his fault, but not all of it. How did she function in this getup? He couldn't imagine it. It was no wonder ladies were notorious for passing out if this was the kind of stuff they wore!

She moved again and he instinctively tightened his grip on her thighs, trying not to pay attention to how very lacy her bloomers felt when they brushed his cheek.

The last thing he needed was to react like a barbaric male would to such a thing, but of course she seemed determined to make it as difficult for him as possible.

He reminded himself it wasn't her fault as her voice and Hade's washed over him. Not really. Her dress might be roomy with just her in it, but having him squished under there couldn't be helping _her_ equilibrium any either.

He silently sighed a little, and had to nearly hang on for dear life when she shivered. Violently. Was he affecting her too?

At any other time that would've filled him with glee, but he was actually starting to feel a little overheated. He longed to poke his head back out and take a great big lungful or two of fresh air, and wondered just how long it had been and how much longer they were going to natter on.

He was becoming very acquainted with her scent if nothing else as she and Hades conducted their business. Their voices droned on, Natsu's eyes closing slowly. His forehead dropped against Lucy's leg, trying to keep his internal flame from reacting to the heat building up under her skirt. He could feel it licking in his blood, like a flame finding open kindle for it to grow on.

Granted, the heat didn't affect him in the same way it did normal people. It had a dilating effect on his senses. But being underneath a woman's skirt, that wasn't particularly helpful.

He listened absently as they droned on, Lucy growing increasingly more fidgety until she managed to strike an agreeable deal with the older man.

He had no idea what she said next, too focused on the happy roar in his ears that was reacting to the heat and the overflowing scent of Lucy. The next thing he knew, was the door was closing and Lucy was whispering.

"The coast is clear."

Natsu practically fell out from under her hoop skirt, wheezing for breath. He crawled out, his cheeks flushed and eyes hazy.

"I never knew a heiress could be so forward," He growled, almost wincing over the tenor in his voice. It was rough, dark with intent, and far more wild than he liked exposing.

"How d'ya even function under that thing? Damn, I swear it felt like I was there for an eternity," Natsu panted.

Lucy's cheeked flushed brightly at his first comment, the tone of his voice alone sending involuntary shivers down her spine. She'd never heard such a tone before, but she recognized it instinctively as the sound of a man hungry for something he wouldn't find out on the buffet tables outside. It rubbed over her nerves enticingly and did absolutely nothing to cool her down.

Of course, she forgot all about that a moment later as she processed his actual comment, and the red in her cheeks went from embarrassment to indignation in a heartbeat.

"That wasn't exactly comfortable for me _either_ you know!" She growled, her cheeks puffing out furiously, "And that wasn't me being forward! That was me saving your life!" Her hands flew to her hips, "If you're going to make comments like that I'll just leave you hanging next time!"

Natsu quailed back a little at the display of female fury and held up his hands, "Hey now! I didn't mean it like that!"

Well sorta.

Kinda.

Mostly.

He flashed her a grin as he pulled himself to his feet, discreetly adjusting himself as he did, and cleared his throat, "I appreciate the save." He told her as he grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, "Honest."

He was less certain about having had his face shoved in the spicy sweet scent of her arousal, but it was far too late to complain about it now.

He just wished he hadn't enjoyed it quite so much. The ride home was going to _hurt_.

He shoved open Hades' window, hooking a leg off the ledge and shifting his weight over. Balancing carefully on the ledge underneath the window, he braced his forearms on the windowsill where Lucy walked towards him.

She made quite a lovely vision, all floating fabrics and rustling satin. Perhaps it was the dragon in him that was attracted to all those shiny and rich folds. There was no question in his mind that Lucy was his princess from long ago. She certainly looked like a queen now.

Her hands settled next to his on the windowsill, and he had to admire how slight they were compared to his own larger ones. They looked like they could be engulfed between his, and he was curious to see by how much.

She bent down, illuminated by the candles lighting the office, while the cool desert air flashed across Natsu's back and ruffled into his hair.

"Before he interrupted," Lucy murmured, unaware of the way his eyes followed her like she were some sort of snake charmer, "...you seemed to recognize something in that journal."

And at once Natsu sobered.

His lips pressed together, averting his eyes to the side while his grip tightened on the windowsill. He had a natural suspicion, especially to humans. But Lucy had just saved his life and assisted him many times.

It wasn't exactly a lack of trust in her he had. It was a more protective feeling he had welling in his chest when it came to the woman he often threw verbal barbs with.

He huffed out a sigh, this time deciding to go with earnestness as opposed to his usual lax attitude.

"Miss Lucy, you're a weird one," he admitted, looking at her straight on, "Not many people of your class would help an outlaw. 'Specially not with somethin' like this that ties over into your pa's business. Most would look the other way."

He sighed and looked off into the night, where everything was painted a light silvery blue thanks to the moon hanging heavy overhead.

"I reckon that's what you need to do now and duck out," Natsu said quietly, "This is gonna get real ugly soon."

Lucy frowned a little at him, "This is already ugly." She reminded him evenly, "Zeref was the blackest wizard ever born. If Precht is involved with him, or someone who even thinks he's Zeref, then this is already huge."

"Putting aside the implications that my father may have been unintentionally supplying dark wizards, this level of organization shows this operation is a lot bigger and better organized than anyone could've dreamed of. That's not something you and your family can take by themselves Natsu. No matter how powerful you are. This is something the guilds, Fairy Tail, need to get involved in."

She took a half step forward, "So please, if you know something that will make an already very ugly picture even worse, then I need to know it. So we can know what to look out for if nothing else."

Natsu sighed, but conceded she had a point. He'd never heard of this Zeref guy, but maybe he was like the human version of Acnologia, and if that was the case he really _would_ be doing her a disservice by not warning her about the other half of the danger.

"Acnologia is my older brother." He said quietly, tensing at just saying the name, "He's not part of my nest. He was born four hundred years ago. The last time dad fell in love with a mortal enough to have kids."

His fists clenched reflexively, "Acnologia lost his nest because of humans. They feared and misunderstood our power, and killed his brothers and sisters off one by one." He leveled a look at her that wasn't quite a glare, but demanded she pay close attention, "You don't know what that does to a dragon. Losing your nest is the worst thing that can happen. And when it happened to him... he went crazy."

He shrugged a little, "Dad never told us the details, but I know he hunted and killed every human responsible before dad managed to put him to sleep. If he's awake again then something really bad is about to go down. Especially if this Zeref guy is your version of him."

Lucy swallowed at the sharpness in his voice and the hint of distrust that lingered there. The centuries born caution he was breaking just to tell her this much.

She opened her mouth to respond, not sure what she could even say, but a glass broke loudly from somewhere within the estate followed by a gale of laughter. Natsu looked sharply in that direction.

"This isn't the time or place to talk about this. Especially with you not hanging from the side of Mister Precht's estate as you are," Lucy looked behind her shoulder quickly to ensure they were in fact alone, "Come find me. We'll discuss this at my home."

Natsu's expression seemed to lighten, his eyebrows raising while a smile flitted crookedly across his face.

"What's that Miss? You're inviting me inside this time?" He smirked.

An exasperated smile tugged at Lucy's lips, even as she tried to give him a severe look. She set her hand on her hip and whipped her fan out once more, using it to hide the smile she couldn't keep at bay.

"I suppose I must. Do try not to make a mess of things," she huffed, "I have a front door."

Natsu nodded, pushing back off the window and flashing her a salute with two fingers, "Make no promises ma'am."

Lucy heard a noise further in the hallway, looking away from the window, distracted.

By the time she turned to give Natsu a scolding, the outlaw was gone, leaving nothing but an empty sill and cool night breeze behind.

Sighing in mingled relief and disappointment, Lucy began to sweep back out the door to rejoin the party. At least she was until a glitter of red hiding just behind the curtain caught her eye.

Looking around, Lucy bent and hooked a finger around the flat, curved object. She drew it out, turning the object over curiously in her hand.

A mask.

And a familiar looking one.

Red and scaled. Almost like a dragon's crest. Suddenly a flash of her evening sprang to her mind. Her and her mysterious dancing partner.

Hiding a very unladylike groan, Lucy tucked her blushing face in her hands. She most certainly was going to kill Salamander the next time she saw his handsome face. She wondered briefly how he managed to tame his crazy hair or if she should ask if he knew how to use a brush.

If she didn't die of embarrassment first.

* * *

 _ **HELLO EVERYONE! You've earned your sneak peek for next week's chapter! Also if you skimmed the A/N at the beginning of the chapter please take a quick peek at it if you don't mind! Just announcements about a Halloween fic, the projects we're working on and the return of Mythos.** _

* * *

_She sighed as she heard Anna rummaging around and dropped her head in her hands, "What did I do to deserve this?"_

 _"Probably argued with a god and pissed him off in a past life." Natsu smirked as he stretched._

 _Lucy leveled a glacial look at him, "I wasn't asking you."_

 _"Who were you talking to then?" Natsu asked innocently, "Your imaginary friend?" His eyes widened comically, "Oh! What's he look like? Is he like one of your spirits?"_

Lucy felt her eye twitch and wondered if it was worth summoning Aquarius, and the damage that would bring, just to shut him up.


	10. Three Ways from Sunday

_**Hey guys! Kytrin here with your Wednesday chapter! A little later in the day than usual I know, but it was a busy day today. Regardless, we're here now so enjoy! :)**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 10**

 **Three Ways from Sunday**

 _Moving quickly; high-tailing it out of there._

* * *

"Are you sure this is going work?"

Erik glanced over at his hissing brother with a scowl, "No, but would you rather stay put?"

Sting scowled back, "That's not what I meant!" He snapped, "But in case you hadn't noticed, this plan isn't exactly foolproof."

And he wasn't sure he wanted to think about what kind of things their captors could dream up if they got caught. Acnologia alone was bad enough, but some of the demons here honestly gave him the creeps.

"Foolproof or not, this's our only option." Laxus grunted as he strained against the wall Erik was so carefully melting through, "The others ain't caught yet, an' there's no way for them to know what's really goin' on. That means it's on us to get out and warn 'em."

Sting sighed and nodded, the comforting feel of his twin's hand on his shoulder settling him, "You're right Laxus." He muttered, "I just..."

Laxus snorted as he pushed again and the section they'd painstakingly loosened over the last couple months, to avoid detection, ground out a complaint as it finally came free.

"You don't have to tell me." He replied as he carefully checked there were no guards or anything coming, "But that's just more reason for us to get out."

He pulled back and nodded, "Alright. The coast is clear. Let's get the hell out before anyone notices we're gone."

He crept out, nodding at Erik. Their younger brothers flanked around them and the four of them began to make their way out.

Acnologia. Of all people, none of them had been expecting him.

When Acnologia had descended on them out of nowhere, the first thing he'd done was take Erik down faster than any of them could react. Without being able to use his brother and his very unique abilities as an early detection system, they had been picked off with ease. It was only through sheer luck that Gajeel and Wendy were on the other side of the cliffs.

That was their saving grace. Theirs and Natsu's.

Acnologia was frightening in his strength, although he rarely came around to see them save a handful of times.

All of them knew Acnologia's story. Their eldest brother had gone mad with grief, the loss of his family and nest enough to cause him to spiral into despair. Vengeance had consumed him.

But despite what Laxus knew of Acnologia, he also seemed unable to look any of them in the eye. He knew why.

They were siblings. Chained by his hand to use for whatever purpose Zeref needed them for.

But aside from that, Acnologia had left them alone save for the occasional visit where he watched in silence before leaving. It was unnerving, and Laxus didn't know what to make of it. Aside from Acnologia's curiosity over them, he couldn't explain the other's interest.

"This way, I hear guards coming from the opposite end. Four. We need to move," Erik whispered, taking the lead as Laxus gestured for them to move.

The ground seemed to tilt and shift under their feet, and all around them there was a loud humming noise. As if there were some great mechanical beast nearby. Erik growled, his hands curling every now and then over his sensitive ears. Rogue put a sympathetic hand on his brother's shoulder, all of them knowing how much the sound was bothering him.

"It's like being near a train all the time," He grumbled and shook his head to clear the noise from his mind. But still he pushed forward, heading them up a flight of stairs.

Straight up into the night sky.

"Uh... Guys? I think we have a problem," Sting voiced the thought on all of their minds.

"Slightly more than a problem..." Rogue sighed as they took in the sight of the stars above and the ground far below as they sailed through the skies, "Now what?"

"C'mon." Laxus urged, "There's got to be an emergency way off this thing. It's too big to land and take off easy. Let's find it and get the hell out of here."

He didn't bring up the other option. The one that should've been obvious to them. He didn't have to. He could tell they were all thinking about it. The wings of their half dragon forms. Those would've made it a piece of cake to escape the airship before anyone noticed.

Unfortunately, that option was closed to them.

As much as it galled any of them to admit it, they were all still too young to be able to call their wings up reliably. It was the main reason they still relied so heavily on horses to get them places. And there was no chance they would all be able to summon their wings in any kind of decent amount of time for an escape.

So he hoped and prayed that there really was some sort of emergency escape they could use. Because otherwise all their careful work had been for nothing.

"This way." Erik growled, tugging on his sleeve sharply, and dragged them into the shadows just as a patrol stomped by.

Laxus scowled at the sight. This was not good. Their empty cell was bound to be discovered any moment, and now they had to roam around the place trying to find something they only hoped existed. He glanced at Erik and his brother smirked as he eeled his way around the corner and slithered down the hall, gesturing for them to join him.

They made it about halfway over the deck, all of them quietly marveling over the magic the ship must have been imbued with to make it so none of them were nauseous, when the first alarm went off.

It was a blaring ring, hand cranked by someone overhead.

Immediately the deck flooded with light, illuminating the slayers where they were standing.

"Run!" Laxus shouted, grabbing Sting by the collar to shove him forward.

Erik pushed Rogue ahead of them, following Laxus' lead to cover their flanks and keep their younger brothers moving.

"Keep going! I overheard a guard! There are vessels just ahead!" Erik shouted to his brothers. He whipped around, driving his hand into the deck to splinter the wood, pouring a path of noxious gas behind them.

Laxus grabbed onto the back of Erik's shirt, dragging his brother back with him as they made a wild sprint for the back.

Laxus knew, without having to say anything, that even if they made it to the vessels, their chances weren't looking good. There were mages onboard this ship, all of them specialized in air based attacks. They would have to be on board a ship like this.

Erik's gas was quickly blowing away in the wind, allowing the guards to swiftly come back up behind them.

Laxus met his eyes, seeing into his thoughts the only way his brother could, and let out a roar of lightning, covering his little brothers as they managed to jump onboard the short range air vessel.

He dug his heels in, nodding to Erik, "Go with them. Someone has to stay behind and make sure they're covered."

Erik gave him a studious look, before he nodded at Laxus and made his way to the lifeboat. But, before Laxus could say anything, Erik lifted up a hand, his claw slicing clean through the ropes and cutting away the twins from main deck.

He smirked at the horrified look on Laxus' face, his fangs glinting in the light.

"You damned fool. You've trapped yourself here with me!" Laxus exploded angrily.

Erik's smirk widened, "Save the lecture. You weren't going to change your mind, and neither was I."

"You're a damn pain in the ass you know that?" Laxus growled as he shifted into a better fighting stance."

"So you've always told me." Erik purred as he settled in with his brother, "Shall we brother? We might even sink the ship."

Laxus smirked darkly, his fangs glittering in the moonlight, "Sounds like fun."

They ignored the sounds of the twin's protests as they moved into action. Lightning and poisons of all kinds tore through the night sky as they kept the crew too distracted to focus on their little brothers. A tactic Rogue, at least, had figured out as he took control of their lifeboat over Sting's arguments and throttled the engines to max.

"Are you crazy?" Sting shouted as burst after burst of lightning lit up the sky, "We have to go back and help them!"

"No." Rogue growled back tersely, "We have to get away."

"But Rogue!"

Rogue whipped his head around to glare at his brother, "We can't help them Sting!" He snapped, "Doing so would make a mockery of their sacrifice!"

Sting reared back a little, as if struck, "But..."

Rogue sighed and turned his gaze towards the horizon, "We always knew there was a chance of this brother." He said quietly, "But the plan hasn't changed. Our siblings need to know what's going on. That's more important than saving them. Once we've caught up to the others _then_ we can plan a rescue."

Sting growled a little but settled down. His twin was right, and he knew it. Though that didn't mean he had to like it.

"If Natsu yells at us for this I'm blaming you." He mumbled petulantly, despite the fact he had no idea how they could've saved the others either.

"I would expect no less." Rogue replied evenly, though there was a hint of a smirk on his lips.

Of course... a new problem reared up faster than he or Sting could realize.

Because while the ship had been enchanted to handle their transportation issue... the life crafts needed no such magic.

Rogue and Sting were able to give one another horrified looks as they realized what was happening, before both brothers went down and their craft spun out of control.

-::-

Meanwhile, Natsu was still groaning over the hard ride back to camp. Miss Heartfilia had certainly earned him more bruises to both his pride and ass than he cared to admit. The lady had fire, that was for sure, and like all flame, Natsu couldn't help but be drawn to it.

Meeting up with Wendy at their rendezvous spot was almost embarassing with as riled as he had gotten hiding out under a woman's skirts. Something which no one besides Lucy would ever be privy to if he had his own way. A fact which seemed likely considering the only other person was a lady of high station and a bit of a stick in the mud.

The stupid smile on his face spoke otherwise.

Still, he was happy to distract Wendy from asking anything too sensitive by questioning on her dances and many suitors vying for her attention. His bashful sister giggled, her face flushed with giddiness as she recounted her time at the dance with such fervor that Natsu's heart warmed. They weren't used to such niceties in the desert, to give Wendy even a small _taste_ of that kind of life...

Natsu's heart ached at the thought, his eyes casting down to the back of Happy's neck.

His horse huffed, nickering for his attention. The horse sensed his mood and tried to lift it, but Natsu was too distracted trying to make sense of the sudden homesickness Natsu felt deep in his chest. He never had a home to begin with - so why was it something he missed all of a sudden?

A normal life would be boring - that didn't interest Natsu.

But being able to stay somewhere for once in his life and not be afraid of where their next meal was coming from, if a storm was blowing in, or a place they could just feel _safe_...

In every aspect in Natsu's life, he felt like he had to stand and fight. Which is why his whole life felt wrong somehow. Like he was running away from something.

Instinctively he reached up to his neck to touch the gold coin Lucy had given him long ago, only to stop short as he remembered it was gone. Sold to buy Wendy her pretty dress for the night's Gala.

Again that sensation, not of sadness - but almost of loneliness struck Natsu and he breathed out through his nose. Lucy's face reflected back to his mind at the thought, wondering back to her words.

 _"Why don't you join Fairy Tail?"_

Impossible.

He dismounted from his horse, flashing Wendy a smile and rolling his eyes at a grumpy looking Gajeel, Natsu pulled Happy with him to an outcropping of rocks they were camped by to bathe in and water Happy.

He gave Happy a cursory currying as the horse drank his fill. It was a little too dark to do a full rubdown by the rocks, and they were too far from camp anyway, but he could finish the job after his bath while Happy enjoyed his nosebag.

Once Happy was done Natsu patted him on the flank and tied him up out of immediate reach before heading back to the spring. It wasn't a hot one, but that hardly mattered to Natsu as he stripped down and waded into the pool. The cool water immediately heated around him, and Natsu sighed as he settled in. It wasn't as hot as he would've liked, but Gajeel would skin him if he boiled the spring and killed the wildlife in it.

A cool bath was worth catching some fish for supper.

Not that he particularly needed supper. Not after everything he'd packed away at the party. Just the memory had him drooling a little in delight. Precht may be rotten, and working with Acnologia, but the man sure could throw a party.

Of course, any thought of the party immediately brought him back to thoughts of Lucy and everything that had happened. The ache in his chest came back, and he rubbed at his heart only to scowl when he unconsciously tried to find his coin and couldn't.

He was being stupid.

Yes, the coin meant a lot to him, but damnit there hadn't been another way. And it wasn't like he could get it back easily. He growled softly to himself as he set to scrubbing with a will. It was best he let it go and move on.

Except... he couldn't.

His heart ached for it, and his chest felt weirdly bare. That coin had been the prize of his little hoard next to his scarf and it had always brought him hope and comfort remembering how he'd gotten it.

Irritated once more, he rinsed off and splashed his way out of the water and back over to Happy's saddle only to freeze in place.

There, hanging innocently on the saddle horn, and Happy contentedly nosing at some hay beside it, was his coin. It had even been strung up on a new thong.

Natsu stared, unable to react for a long moment as his coin dangled right where he could see it.

And there was no mistaking it either.

Cautious, Natsu approached his oblivious horse and touched the coin. The impressions on the surface had long been worn off by Natsu's warm touch, and the surface of it a rainbowed patina thanks to his natural body heat.

"Who's there?" Natsu called out, sharp and commanding as he lifted a fist cloaked in flames. His eyes scanned through the darkness, ears peeled for the crunching of footsteps.

But he heard nothing.

Unable to escape the feeling that someone was watching him, Natsu snapped the coin off Happy's saddle and tied it around his neck. At once that ache in his chest dimmed, but his paranoia and suspicion that someone was watching him only grew.

Whoever had put the coin on Happy, had done so with the horse's permission, which meant Happy hadn't sensed that he was in any danger.

He glanced at the hay, which was no doubt used as a distraction and scoffed quietly.

"Way to keep them sheep caroled in Happy," Natsu grunted, dragging a pair of breeches on and shrugging the rest of his clothes on over it.

Unable to find the person who had returned his coin - the coin of all things, Natsu couldn't get over that detail - he hoisted himself back on Happy and glanced around.

"C'mon boy, lets head back to the others," Natsu murmured, hand drifting up to his coin and putting the memory of the incident into the back of his mind for the time being.

-::-

Lucy paced in her room, twisting a handkerchief between her hands with nerves. It had been two days since Hades' party and there was no sign of Natsu.

She gave the mask he left behind, situated on her desk, an annoyed glare.

It was bad enough she had to dodge her aunt's questions about the man she danced with that night, instead having to make up one tale or another. Now she had news that Zeref, or at least someone posing as the black mage, had something to do with Acnologia.

By extension, she couldn't help but worry what that meant to her celestial spirits. The last time she ran into Natsu, he hadn't even commented on wanting her keys. Which told her whatever parts of his story he was hiding really shook him up.

She was jolted out of her thoughts when the doorbell suddenly rang. She whipped her head towards her bedroom door just in time to hear Anna opening the door, and a moment later her heart thundered in her chest as she heard a voice she recognized, even if she couldn't pick out the actual words. Natsu was _finally_ here! Her eyes widened in horror as laughter drifted up the stairs. Natsu's laughter. Natsu, who was alone with her irrepressible aunt.

Horrified at the thought of what Natsu could be saying to her she rushed out of her room and darted down the stairs only to be brought up short by the sight of Natsu, without his signature hat and duster, pulling out a chair at the tea table.

"Lucy!" Anna exclaimed happily, "I was wondering if I'd have to call you down!" She grinned as her niece stepped numbly into the room and moved over to grab her elbow, "Why didn't you _tell_ me your secret friend was such a gentleman? Or that he was coming over today?"

"Uh..." Lucy stammered, "I... didn't know?"

Natsu flashed a charming smile that held only a hint of the rogue she knew was in there, "I thought I'd come by and surprise you." He rumbled, "I didn't realize your aunt was visitin' though."

He glanced between the women uncertainly, "I can come back later if that would be better...?"

"Nonsense!" Anna scolded, looking far too delighted by this turn of events, "You came all this way! I insist you stay for tea. We can talk and get to know each other before I leave for my errands!"

"Errands?" Lucy asked in confusion, and Anna flashed her a wink.

"Of course!" She replied brightly, "You remember the things I had to pick up in town don't you? And I wanted to go take a look at the lovely church they're building. I expect to be gone all afternoon."

Natsu suddenly broke out into a mild coughing fit, his fist raising to his mouth to stifle what Lucy _knew_ to be laughter.

"Oh dear, are you okay?" Anna asked, a faint smirk tugging at her lips.

Natsu seemed to pull himself together, clearing his throat and patting at his chest, "Yes, thank you ma'am, I'm just fine. Bit of dust in the lungs is all."

"Tea will fix that right up," Anna replied wisely, "I'll be back in a tick with a fresh pot."

She gave Lucy an amused look over her shoulder as she disappeared around the corner into the kitchenette.

"Miss me?" Natsu smirked at her, his expression of politeness morphing into one of mocking amusement. Right back to what Lucy found familiar.

He gestured to the chair he pulled out for her, and Lucy huffed, taking a seat in it, "You couldn't have called on me more discreetly?" She hissed.

He chuckled, low in the back of his throat as he pushed her chair forward, bending over it towards her ear. She could feel the heat roll off him, in a way that felt all too familiar to her. Cheeks reddening, she swallowed at the feel of his breath lightly ghosting over her neck.

"This _is_ discreet," His voice was just a growl, scraping in the back of his throat. It made her insides turn all warm and floppy, her thoughts turning improper at his proximity.

"Your aunt is nice though," he chuckled at her, "Must skip a generation."

"I'm nice!" Lucy hissed harshly, "You're just a jerk!"

Natsu smirked as he dropped into the chair next to her, "Now is that any way to talk to your 'secret friend'?"

Lucy glared at him furiously, but didn't dare make a move to give him the kicking he was so clearly asking for as it would alert her aunt. And judging by the look on the smug bastard's face he knew it. Wasn't there some sort of law against being attracted to someone you wanted to throttle?

"Lucy!" Anna called from the kitchen, "Where do you keep your sugar? The pot's nearly empty!"

Lucy took a moment to compose herself, "Kitchen cupboard aunt Anna. First shelf you see when you look in, all the way in the back."

She sighed as she heard Anna rummaging around and dropped her head in her hands, "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Probably argued with a god and pissed him off in a past life." Natsu smirked as he stretched.

Lucy leveled a glacial look at him, "I wasn't asking _you_."

"Who were you talking to then?" Natsu asked innocently, "Your imaginary friend?" His eyes widened comically, "Oh! What's he look like? Is he like one of your spirits?"

Lucy felt her eye twitch and wondered if it was worth summoning Aquarius, and the damage that would bring, just to shut him up.

"Pink hair, a trifle annoying, and completely unable to keep his trap shut," Lucy shot back to him, trying to ignore the way his smile spread.

He made a soft gasping noise and placed his hand over his heart, reaching out with his opposite hand to drop over hers, "Why Miss Lucy, you wound me," He breathed.

"If only," Lucy shot back with a wicked smile, batting her eyes at him. He snorted, ready to come back with something, when he stilled and pulled his hand from hers.

Somewhat disappointed he was no longer rising to the bait when Anna came back in, balancing a tray with a pot of tea on it and biscuits. Natsu immediately rose to his feet to take away her burden. He set it down at the table and a moment later was pulling out her chair like a perfect gentleman. At least to Anna, who was giving Lucy a very happy look.

Over her shoulder however, Natsu was making a face at Lucy, out of her aunt's sight. Lucy struggled to keep her expression neutral, even as Natsu's face smoothed back into a polite smile and he returned to his seat next to Lucy.

"So!" Anna smiled at them, "Tell me how the two of you met!"

Lucy gaped at her aunt, her mind and imagination failing her. This was what she was afraid of. Her aunt wouldn't let well enough alone, and she was going to expect answers Lucy couldn't give her.

Surprisingly though, Natsu stepped right in.

"We met at the crossroads just inside the canyon before you hit Magnolia. There's a rest stop there, and Lucy's wagon had broken a wheel," Natsu reported with an unwavering smile, "I took an interest in her keys."

This time, Lucy's jaw _did_ drop.

He had quite effectively described just how they met, without actually telling the real instances of how they met. There was no lie there, keeping true to his celestial nature, but again... there were several important facts missing from his story. Namely he and his siblings being responsible for her broken wheel, and the attempted robbery of her keys.

However, she wasn't going to point out those omissions. That would lead to all kinds of questions she _really_ didn't want to get into.

"Oh?" Anna asked curiously, oblivious to her niece's thoughts, "Are you a celestial wizard Mr. Dragneel?"

"Natsu." Natsu replied with a smile, "And no. I practice a type of fire magic. But I'm very interested in celestial magic. Stars are, after all, made of fire." He flashed Lucy a grin, "Besides, it's not everyday you meet a celestial wizard. Let alone one with zodiac keys."

Anna smiled proudly at Lucy around her teacup, "Yes. The whole family is very proud of Lucy. Celestial magic has been passed down for generations from mother to daughter in our family. My sister, Layla, was quite formidable in her day, and Lucy is shaping up to be just as powerful if not more so."

Lucy blushed a bit in pleasure at the compliment and took a sip of tea to try and cover it, "I'm not sure I could ever match mom." She demurred, "She could do things I still haven't figured out."

"You'll get there in time." Anna assured her, "Celestial magic is a study of patience, and knowing not only one's self but one's spirits completely."

Natsu eyed her with interest, "Are you a celestial wizard Miss Anna?"

Anna laughed and shook her head, "No, nothing like that. Layla was the magical one. But it's impossible not to pick up the basic theory and understanding in this family."

She eyed Natsu curiously, "So are you a member of Fairy Tail or some other guild?"

Natsu shook his head, "Nah. My brothers and sister and I prefer to work freelance. Around these parts that works just as well as being in a guild." He shrugged, "Can't see the point of joining one really."

"You would have an easier time finding work." Anna pointed out, "And there's a certain security that goes with being in a guild. Particularly one with as wide a reputation as Fairy Tail."

Natsu clicked his tongue to the inside of his cheek, his expression somewhat guarded. Lucy could tell the idea of joining a guild still mmade Natsu uncomfortable, and those were probably for the reasons he hinted at earlier back at Hades' estate.

"Maybe it's in our future, who's to say now though?" Natsu said after a moment, "'Sides, my siblings and I keep well enough busy as it is."

Anna hummed and looked over at Lucy while Natsu took a moment to hurry and gulp down a mouthful of hot tea. He didn't even bat an eye over the scalding liquid.

"Well then, maybe my Lucy will be able to change your mind, after all I'm sure you'll find that she and her guild come as part of a package," Anna laughed.

She stood up, causing Natsu to also rise to his feet, Lucy following suit.

"I believe I'll take my leave now though, the sun is already high in the sky and if I want to make it back in time for supper I'll need to hurry," Anna explained.

Lucy almost groaned at the wink she shot her way.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Mister Natsu," Anna extended a gracious hand out for him to take, which he did after a moment.

"Likewise ma'am," Natsu responded with a smile that matched the sun in brightness.

Anna gave Lucy a sly look as they all headed to the front door.

"Now you two behave y'hear?" Anna asked, gathering up her skirt to head down the porch, "I'll be back later dear."

"I'll see you later auntie," Lucy waved at Anna, who smiled back and blew a kiss.

Her aunt was off, walking right down the dirt road, no doubt planning on taking her sweet time in town looking at every bauble that shone and caught her eye. She allowed herself to groan at the implications, and quietly resigned herself to endless teasing from the older woman. Closing the door, she heard Natsu shuffle behind her, discarding his outer jacket and rolling his sleeves up to his forearms.

"So, let's talk business."

* * *

 **Hehe, you guys made your reviews by the skin of your teeth this chapter! Congratulations on your preview, and a very sincere thank you to everyone who reviewed. We love you guys! Enjoy your preview!**

 _Levy sighed and looked up, somewhat exasperated by everything._

 _"Let me guess," she said after a long moment, "we're going to follow her?"_

 _At the silent looks Levy received shortly after asking, she snorted and rolled her eyes._

 _"I'll pack my bag."_


	11. Little End of the Horn

_**Hey everyone, Mslead here for your Sunday update! Enjoy!**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 11**

 _ **Little End of the Horn**_

 _To come away from a situation at a disadvantage. The same as "short end of the stick._

* * *

"Well that was awkward." Lucy sighed as she turned around, and raised an eyebrow at the way Natsu had rolled up his sleeves, "Do you always roll up your sleeves for a talk?"

"Only when I think I might get dirty." Natsu smirked, his usual grin back in place. It seemed everything was back to normal now that her aunt was gone.

"I shudder to think what would constitute as dirty for you." She replied primly as she moved to sit back down, "Though I'm sure the manure in the stables might come close."

Natsu's grin widened as he also sat back down, "Depends." He purred back, "Do you have any in your house?"

Lucy shot him a dirty look, "No. Thus no reason for you to have your sleeves rolled up." She shifted before he could reply, no doubt with another comment that would annoy her, "Now, let's talk about what we found at Precht's study shall we?"

Natsu leaned forward, his elbows on the table, "Aw, you don't want to talk about what else might be dirty in your house?" He waggled his eyebrows, "Or anything else? I'm supposed to be your beau right?"

Lucy narrowed her eyes, "You're nothing of the sort!" She snapped, "My aunt happens to have a very active imagination is all."

"You wound me Miss Lucy." Natsu purred as he leaned closer to her and curled his hand around hers, "After all, we've already been so intimate..."

Lucy held still, his hand warm overs hers and very stable. Her mouth popped open but then shut right after. She knew he was playing a game with her, but it really did sometimes take her off guard.

His eyes were warm, intent on hers, his whole body was close to hers, and the rough way he spoke sent electricity humming down the back of her bodice.

She tugged her hand away from his, turning away and lifting her nose up to the air. Still it was hard not to think of the intimacy he spoke of. The feeling of his broad shoulders between her legs, his hot hands against her thighs and his cheek pressing into her bloomers. It was enough to make her heart stutter loudly in her ears.

The small, improper part of her brain couldn't help but wonder what it would be like with her flat on her back and him over her, his heat in places other than under her skirt, but rather all over her. Or the feel of those smirking lips pressing and biting hungrily into hers.

"I'm sure your idea of intimacy is the time you'd spend with your horse," Lucy's voice wasn't as sure as she'd hoped it would be, but it did the trick regardless.

Natsu let out a snort of laughter, flopping back in the chair and scooting all the way back to prop his feet up on the table.

Feet that were promptly shoved back off.

"I would appreciate it if you would at least _try_ not to destroy my things."

Natsu snorted again, and debated putting his feet back on the table just to piss her off a little more, but decided against it for now. They would never have their talk if he kept pushing her buttons, and no matter how entertaining that was he was curious about what her plan was.

"I did say no promises." He reminded her as he adjusted his seat a little, "So what else is it you wanna know Miss Heartfilia?" He cocked his head curiously, "Or are you planning to discuss strategy?"

Lucy's eye twitched slightly, but she held her tongue as she settled back more comfortably into her own chair, "Before I get into that, I'd like to know if you'll be willing to tell me the details you've left out."

Natsu raised an eyebrow, trying not to show his sudden tension, "Details?" He asked, hoping to play it off, "What details?"

Lucy shot him a look that reminded him of his mother when she was mad, and sent an involuntary shiver of fear down his spine.

"How about what's really driving you?" She suggested, and sighed as she shook her head, "Look, I get that you don't like me, or trust humans, but I can tell there's more to this than you've been saying. I want to help, but I can't do that unless I have the whole picture."

Natsu frowned a little. She was sharp to pick up that there was something else going on, even if she didn't know what. Most wouldn't have looked any further than paranoia about a man who'd wanted to buy him, and the discovery of Acnologia and Zeref. But he wasn't sure he wanted to tell her about his brothers either. It was personal. A family thing. Something for the nest to deal with and not her.

Still, he wasn't sure he was going to be able to shake her off his tail. She seemed to have taken the scent of a mystery, and it was clear once he mentioned the name 'Zeref' in conjunction to 'Heartfilia Rails' there was no way she'd leave it alone.

"Four of my siblings were captured the night I attacked you in the canyon," Natsu said shortly, getting straight to the point, "It ain't a coincidence that I was taken on the orders of a man connected to Acnologia. I'd bet my horse that he has something to do with where my family is."

Natsu's fingers curled into a fist, his anger clouding over his eyes and his teeth grit together. He breathed out, flashing his suddenly too heated gaze at Lucy.

"I told you last time, for a dragon their nest is _everything_." Natsu growled softly, "it's enough to drive a dragon mad. Over half of mine just disappeared into the night one day. Like they were never even there."

The growl rumbled angrily in his chest, tearing his glare away from Lucy. She could see in the back of his eyes that maddening rage he had mentioned before, lashed behind the grips of his purpose.

"We'll get them back." Lucy said softly, but with such determination it shocked Natsu out of most of his anger.

He looked back at her again and was surprised to find her meeting his gaze fiercely, "You want to help?"

Sure he'd heard her say that before, but he hadn't really believed her. After all, most of the time they met they were fighting or scratching at each other about something. Even helping with the manifest hadn't really been out of the kindness of her heart. It had been to keep the train from being robbed and his nest from indiscriminately hurting her father's business partners.

Granted she'd saved his life at Precht's party, but that hardly translated into wanting to help his nest.

"Why do you want to help?" He demanded, his inability to comprehend this woman boiling over, "You're human, and a celestial wizard. Shouldn't you be trying to bind me to you or something?"

A flicker of temper crossed her face, but she slowly took a breath and closed her eyes for a moment before meeting his gaze unflinchingly.

"I won't pretend to understand how difficult it's been for you growing up wary of everyone but your own family." She told him softly, but firmly, "However, there's a couple of things you really need to get through your head. One, not all humans are like the ones that destroyed Acnologia's nest. Not even most of us are. And two, I will _never_ bind you, or any member of your family against your will. I understand why you think I might. Some celestial wizards have no morals at all, but I'm not one of them."

She sat back a little, "I can understand if you don't really believe me on either of those points, but I ask you at least try to suspend disbelief while we deal with the mess that's been dropped in our laps. Despite our differences I actually do want to help, but neither of us will get anywhere if we continue to keep secrets. Agreed?"

Natsu snorted and cocked his head at her, " 'S a tall order Miss Lucy. I like ya 'n all but that's a real hard sell considerin' half my family is gone in the hands of this Zeref fellow and my insane older brother."

"I suppose I do owe ya one though," Natsu's hand lifted to his chest, fingering the round coin he wore under his shirt. He tapped an index finger against it as he considered both her and his charm. It still unnerved him over it's unusual reappearance. When he questioned Gajeel and Wendy about it, neither had an answer over Natsu regaining his lost treasure. It put them on edge for the rest of the night. Their small patch of land was well guarded after all.

Still, the charm and the memory of his family cemented Natsu and his decision.

"Tell ya what," Natsu nodded to her, "You come to me in my territory, and I'll play your game. Nice 'n polite, no secrets at all."

Lucy raised an eyebrow at that, stiffening a bit in her chair. Her eyes were fixated on his hand, tapping away at something round on his chest. She had never noticed it before thanks to the bandanna he often wore around his neck, but there seemed to be a pendant attached to a leather cord hanging under his shirt.

Considering who she was talking to, she imagined he was superstitious enough to believe in charms.

Something that gave him luck perhaps. Not that she blamed him. Lucy had seen enough men fall to lady luck's whims in her time living in Magnolia.

"And how exactly do I go about moving into your 'territory'?" She asked.

Natsu slapped his palm against the table and grinned, "Spend the night with me and my siblings. See how we operate and live."

He raised his palm up, fire lighting up easily against his skin. He watched Lucy's eyes fixate on the flames, amazement on her face.

"Human's can't conjure magic like this. Not without channeling it through some magical object or another. There are a couple with a few drops of fairy blood in them that can do something almost similar, but not quite," Natsu curled his fingers into a fist, extinguishing the flame.

"We've always been hunted for this reason alone. You're asking me to put aside my suspicion to trust you for now," he met her eyes, "I'm asking you to do the same thing. Come inside a dragon's nest, princess."

He smirked, eyes tinging with wicked intent and just a hint of challenge, "Unless you're frightened?"

Lucy snorted, and stared back at him boldly, "As long as none of you are a threat to my keys I have no quarrel with any of you." She raised an eyebrow, "Well, except for the fact you're about as personable as a cactus. But that's a personal fault of yours so I won't judge your nest on it."

Natsu snorted out a laugh. All right, he'd kind of deserved that one. Maybe.

"I'll make a promise that as long as you treat your spirits good then no one in my nest will go after 'em." He replied, "Deal?"

After all, her keys would be helpful, but they could find others if need be.

"Define good." Lucy replied shrewdly, "I'd rather not have you declaring that deal broken on a whim thanks."

Natsu's grin widened, pleased she was learning about loopholes on the fly, "No callin' them up and hurtin' them, an' no treatin' them like cannon fodder."

"Agreed." Lucy replied instantly and held out her hand.

Natsu was mildly surprised that she hadn't even hesitated to agree, and started to wonder if maybe she really was telling the truth after all. He grasped her hand and felt the contract settle into place. It was a strange feeling, but it actually made him more inclined to trust Lucy. Someone who did those things would've tried to haggle such a deal, but she hadn't even blinked.

Maybe she really was more like the woman he'd met at the masquerade than he'd thought.

Lucy stood up, "I'll need a couple days to get ready for a trip like that. Especially with my aunt around. Where should I meet you?"

Natsu snorted and leaned his weight against the table, snagging a biscuit to munch on loudly, "Get ready?" he snorted and shook his head, "You won't be coming with nothing but the clothes on your back and a pillow to lay your head on princess."

His eyes swept down along her, "I'd get some pants though."

"Tell Aunt Anna you'll be workin' on a job at the guild for a tick, she won't be none the wiser," Natsu hummed, picking up his cup to take a sip of the tea, "Because for awhile, you're gonna be nest, just like me and my family."

Natsu frowned a bit at the table and nodded, as if arguing with himself over something.

"Meet me at dusk by the water tower, you'll be ridin' with me and my bud," Natsu grinned at her, "I'll see ya there tomorrow how about?"

Lucy nodded briskly, "That will do."

She would need to get Erza and Makarov to help cover for her if her aunt asked questions while she was gone, but it was past time she came clean about what was going on anyway. It had gone way beyond something involving a little injustice and Heartfilia Rails.

However, that was a bridge she could cross after Natsu left or in the morning.

Natsu nodded and stood up as well, absently brushing crumbs off, "Well, I'd better head out then. Afternoon's getting late and I need to explain things to my brother and sister."

Lucy nodded, "Of course. I'll see you tomorrow evening."

Natsu cocked his head slightly at her, "Are you sure you're up to this princess? Our life isn't exactly comfortable."

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him, "Contrary to appearances, I'm tougher than I look. I'll manage one way or another."

She would be damned if she wasn't bringing a pack with her though. Natsu could go on as much as he liked about just the clothes on her back, but there was no way she wasn't going to have at least a change of clothes and some basic toiletries to go with her bedroll.

"Of that I have no doubt Miss Lucy," Natsu pushed open the door, stepping out into the heated sun. His fingers dipped into his pocket, shaking out his bandana and tying it back around his neck.

"I'll be seein' ya," he clomped down the steps of her porch, his trend heavy.

Lucy watched him go, an eyebrow raising as she saw he had tied his horse down to her porch railing. He was a beautiful creature with a blue coat that almost glowed in the sunlight. To say she was impressed by how well bred Natsu's horse was, could be considered an understatement.

Not that she figured he could tell the difference.

Natsu clicked his tongue at the horse and mounted up in one easy pull. It was then Lucy noticed there was no shine to his heels. Natsu wore no spurs.

It was a curious observation, as she was certain that a man who relied on fast getaways would want his horse to run as quick as it was able. Filing the information away for later, she watched as Natsu picked up his hat and duster which were draped over the horses' saddle. He slipped back into them, once more transforming his image into the devilish rogue she had come to know.

He tipped his brim to her, his fangy smirk gleaming in the afternoon sunlight. With a sharp tug of the reins, he was off with his strange colored horse, clopping back out of town like the rolling dust.

Lucy watched until he was gone before sighing a little. What had she gotten herself into? She was seriously going to go out into the desert, with a man she literally could not converse with for more than a minute without one of them taking a shot at the other, to meet his family and try to gain his trust? Was she insane?

She shook her head and decided she probably was.

She glanced at the sun and decided that if she hurried she would probably have time to explain this whole convoluted mess to the guild. She'd been in over her head since the party and this 'meeting' with Natsu had only made it worse.

With that thought in mind she made sure the door was secure and headed out. The sooner she got this done the better.

-::-

A little over an hour later Lucy was kind of wishing she'd put off her explanation after all.

"You want to WHAT?!" Gray exclaimed, making her wince a little at the volume, "Lucy, have you gone insane? These are bandits we're talking about! They've robbed dozens of your father's trains and tried to rob you!"

She sighed a little, but met his outraged gaze evenly, "I know that, but there's not another way. Even if this guy who's calling himself Zeref isn't actually him Natsu is convinced Acnologia is. And he's their version of Zeref. I don't know about you, but I don't like those odds. And I like the fact he's kidnapping members of Natsu's family even less. Whatever's really going on we could really use their help."

"But are you sure they'll give it?" Erza asked, "You don't seem to get along with Natsu that well."

Lucy shook her head, "I don't know." She admitted, "I can't figure Natsu out, but it's worth trying." She looked down at the mark on her hand, "And I don't know why, but I just don't think Natsu and his family are really bad. Maybe if we can prove not all humans are evil we can help them."

"I'm sure they're already aware that not all humans are bad," Erza pointed out diplomatically, "If what you said is true, then their mother was a human. It sounds to me as if they are afraid." She frowned, "Are you sure you want to go into a nest of frightened dragons Lucy?"

Lucy sighed, seeing the sense in what Erza said, but also not knowing quite what to say in response to it.

"I know what you mean, but the way I see it, we don't really have a choice do we?" Lucy demanded, "If there's even a slight chance that this is real, we need to be right there on the front lines! Waiting for the fight to come to us won't have us winning anything."

"Now that's a horse I'd wager a bet on," Gray muttered under his breath.

Nearby, Levy sighed and rolled up the newspaper she had been reading.

"I say we let her do what needs to be done," Levy agreed, "If there's a threat this huge on the horizon, it's gonna find us sooner than later. Might as well be ahead on this one."

Lucy gave her a grateful look, swallowing back her smile. Her bookish friend was one of the smartest people she knew, and if anyone could see a pattern, it was her.

She didn't know if she should be happy or sad that she was on board with this plan in hindsight.

Erza made a frustrated noise in the back of her throat, seeing as she was being overruled. Especially since, despite his words, Gray seemed a bit on the curious side.

"Very well, but you will check in with us at your earliest opportunity. Do you understand?" Erza demanded sharply.

Lucy nodded, "I'll get you a message as soon as I can." She promised and approached her friend, "I know this sounds crazy Erza..."

"It's not crazy Lucy." Makarov spoke up from his place on the bar where he'd been quietly listening to both the story and the debate. He opened one eye to study her.

"If you truly believe this is the right path for you to take, then you must follow it to its end. No matter if you succeed or fail we'll be here to back you up. You can count on that. That's part of what being a member of this family means." He smiled at her, "So go out and tame your dragons my girl! I believe that if anyone can do it... you can."

Lucy smiled at the old master, emotion swelling in her chest, and she nodded, "Thank you master!"

She curtsied happily and rushed out to get ready, as excited as she was nervous about this new adventure now that it had Makarov's approval.

"Master, are we really going to let her go alone like that?" Erza asked anxiously once the blond was gone.

"Lucy's a big girl." Makarov replied calmly as he took a swing of ale, "She can handle herself." He paused and eyed the redhead shrewdly, "Of course, she never said she had to actually do this alone did she?"

"Hey..." Gray said, surprise coloring his voice, "That's true! She just said she had to meet this Natsu guy alone."

Levy sighed and looked up, somewhat exasperated by everything.

"Let me guess," she said after a long moment, "we're going to follow her?"

At the silent looks Levy received shortly after asking, she snorted and rolled her eyes.

"I'll pack my bag."

* * *

 _ **Alright everyone! You guys made the cut off for your sneak peek! Thank you everyone for your sweet words! It really means a lot to us when you let us know how we're doing. Hope you guys have a great Sunday and a safe week! Without further ado, here is your peek on next chapter's shenanigans!**_

* * *

 _But he stubbornly wasn't thinking about that errant thought, or the way it would poke its head up._

 _"Have your boots offended you for some reason?" The voice of the very subject of his thoughts asked, and he jerked his head up, "Because I'm pretty sure that if you glare at them any harder they'll catch on fire."_

 _Natsu, however, couldn't seem to get his brain working well enough to respond. Heck, he was having problems getting his jaw to function!_

 _She was there._

 _She'd really come._

 _She'd actually gone through with this._

 _And she was beautiful._

 _He could hardly believe his eyes really. He'd seen her in her everyday dresses, and all dressed up for that fancy ball, but this... this blew him away._

 _Gone was the slightly out of place looking princess in too many ruffles and bows. The Lucy before him was clad in slacks that had somehow been tailored to cling to every female curve she had without being too tight with a pair of custom boots that were clearly meant to take a beating regardless if she was riding or not._


	12. Cooling Yer Heels

_**Hey guys! Kytrin here with you Wednesday chapter! Apologies for it being so late. Work was a thing. Enjoy!**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 12**

 **Cooling yer heels**

 _Staying for a while._

* * *

Natsu was reclining back against the base of Magnolia's water tower. His arms were folded over his chest, his head tipped back but hat angled so it covered most of his face.

Happy clopped impatiently next to him, and Natsu made a huffing noise in response.

"Yeah buddy, I know. I'm gettin' antsy too. We don't usually spend this much time in town. Don't you go worryin' though, shouldn't be too much longer," Natsu tipped the brim of his hat up enough to give his horse a reassuring look.

"'sides, we'll be gettin' the true flavor of the missus soon enough," Natsu shrugged, "A bit of clarity is worth the trip, right bud?"

So far there was no sign of the princess, and he couldn't help but wonder if maybe she had changed her mind after all. He looked sullenly at the toes of his boots, arms folding more firmly around his chest.

He told himself he wasn't disappointed. How could he be disappointed over her not showing up? She was a human and he wasn't. They didn't travel in the same circles, they didn't live the same life at all.

So why would he be feeling like crud over her not showing up, for doing precisely what he expected her to do? Stay in the comfort of her home and town. Turn away the suggestion of her being nest for a few days.

Natsu felt like an idiot, because while she may not have known about the importance of letting a stranger in even for a short time - he and his siblings certainly did.

No one since his _mother_ had been allowed fresh into Draco's nest.

And if he was honest with himself, which Natsu was _not_ , he would have admitted that he was a little eager to show Lucy how they lived.

Not only that, he was eager to provide for her like he would a queen in a nest.

But he stubbornly wasn't thinking about that errant thought, or the way it would poke its head up.

"Have your boots offended you for some reason?" The voice of the very subject of his thoughts asked, and he jerked his head up, "Because I'm pretty sure that if you glare at them any harder they'll catch on fire."

Natsu, however, couldn't seem to get his brain working well enough to respond. Heck, he was having problems getting his jaw to function!

She was there.

She'd really come.

She'd actually gone through with this.

And she was _beautiful_.

He could hardly believe his eyes really. He'd seen her in her everyday dresses, and all dressed up for that fancy ball, but this... this blew him away.

Gone was the slightly out of place looking princess in too many ruffles and bows. The Lucy before him was clad in slacks that had somehow been tailored to cling to every female curve she had without being too tight with a pair of custom boots that were clearly meant to take a beating regardless if she was riding or not.

And the top was just as amazing.

It wasn't any kind of delicate, but her blouse was light and breezy, though not a style he was familiar with. It would do well to keep the sun off without overheating her, as would the vest and hat she wore.

What had happened to his princess?

It was a transformation beyond anything he'd expected her to be capable of, but he loved every bit of it. A small, somewhat functioning, part of his brain wondered if Lucy would be willing to share tips with Wendy. If she could make clothes that normally looked horrible on women that pretty without being indecent then it was something she just _had_ to share.

As he continued to stare in silence Lucy shifted a little uncomfortably, "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

She crossed her arms a little self-consciously, "I know the clothes are different, but you said to wear pants, and I was already working on this change..."

Natsu's mouth clicked closed, having trouble shaking the flare of affection he felt in his chest at the sight of Lucy so _comfortable_ and relaxed looking.. The dresses were nice too, but he was far more impressed with this.

Just because this looked like what Lucy was _happier_ in. And that made it stunning to him.

Maybe he needed to see Wendy with some urgency after all. He was beginning to think he was getting sick.

Of course his attention drifted down to the pack slung over her shoulder, and he raised an eyebrow, pointing at it.

"What's that doing here?" He asked, his lips pressing together in a scowl.

Lucy looked over her shoulder at the pack and frowned at him, "Uh. My stuff?" she asked, "You weren't serious about that clothes on my back stuff were you?"

"As a drought," Natsu snorted and pushed off the tower, "Still, I'm impressed you even showed up considerin' what you're walkin' into, so I suppose I can forgive the slip up."

He smirked at her, regaining his footing as Lucy gave him an annoyed glare that made his insides swell happily

"C'mon, we'll drop your pack off at your place before we head out," Natsu held out a hand to her and nodded to the back of Happy.

Lucy opened her mouth to protest, but Natsu snorted.

"Ah keep your bloomers on, the nest will getcha anythin' ya need," Natsu grinned at her and made an 'x' over his chest, "cross my heart."

"Why does the nest have to get me anything?" Lucy asked, half exasperated and half confused, "I already have the things I need."

Natsu cocked his head at her and conceded that from her perspective it was a fair question, "It ain't about that." He replied after a moment, "Yeah, you can supply that stuff, but the whole point is you trust _us_ to supply you with what you need when you need it."

There were, of course, other reasons, darker reasons why she would be coming with nothing. Weapons to use against the nest to name a few, but he kept those to himself. She'd met him halfway on this already, so he would do her the courtesy of not accusing her of something he had no proof she'd done.

Fortunately it didn't look like he'd have to as she thought about what he'd said for a few moments before nodding and taking his hand. He could see her reluctance, and he couldn't honestly blame her for it, but it still warmed him that she was willing to make the effort.

As he hauled her up behind him and set off for her house he silently promised himself that he would see to it she wanted for nothing, and her unease at having nothing but her clothes and her keys to her name would vanish.

Once the bag was dropped off, Lucy rejoined him. He made no comment about the way she kept glancing back as he pulled her back into the saddle and set off. Nor did he comment on the way her grip tightened when he did. Though it was hard to tell if she was just trying to keep from falling off or if she was trying to prevent herself from running back for her things.

Either way, his respect for her grew the further away they got.

Natsu felt Lucy tuck herself into his shoulder and he pulled a hand off the reins to drag his bandanna over his mouth. "You hangin' on?"

"I don't know what else you think I'm doing back here" Lucy shot back. But she looked up enough to see that Natsu had covered the bottom half of his face.

"Wait Natsu what're you-?"

She could see the way his eyes glowed with laughter before he whipped back around and wound another hand around Happy's reins.

"Come on bud! Let's show Miss Lucy just how you fly!" He crowed out.

Lucy had just enough time to throw her arms around Natsu's middle as the horse galloped off, moving over the hard soil like he had suddenly sprouted wings.

Her hat flew off, catching by the cord around the bottom and hanging by her shoulders. She didn't bother to fix it, instead holding as tightly to her errant rider as she could.

If she had doubts before, she certainly didn't any longer. Natsu was completely mad.

And yet, with the sounds of his laughter carrying over the wind, and the warmth of his back pressing against her front...

Lucy found she liked the little bit of madness.

-::-

By the time Happy started to slow down it was well and truly dark with the moon and stars both lighting up the sky overhead. In the distance Lucy could make out what appeared to be a moderately large ranch house with warm light glowing through the visible windows, and a good sized stable. A fact that surprised her until she remembered that there were seven of them usually. A place like that was probably just big enough for all of them and their horses and other livestock. Assuming they had any.

Once they came to a stop, she shakily slid off Happy's back, grateful for the steadying hand Natsu gave her. She glanced around, trying not to think about her slightly wobbly knees, or the state of her hair, and was somewhat impressed that the place looked well cared for.

At least their stolen items were going towards something useful.

"You alright?" Natsu grinned as he hopped down, "You look a little shaky."

"I'm not exactly used to racing like that." Lucy replied as the door opened. She looked up and forced herself not to shuffle back at the sight of the very imposing looking Black Steel glaring at her.

"So you actually showed up." He growled, and Lucy frowned at the way he looked down his nose at her.

"I did." She replied with a hint of growl, silently daring him to take exception to her being there.

His eyes narrowed, and he opened his mouth to respond, only to let out a pained grunt as a smaller figure elbowed her way past him and out the door, "Stop trying to scare her Gajeel! It's rude!"

Lucy blinked at the new arrival, who could only be the one known as the Sky Maiden, and found herself practically nose to nose with a bright smile.

"I'm Wendy!" She announced happily, "It's very nice to meet you! Natsu hasn't stopped talking about you for months!"

"Is that so?" Lucy purred, flashing a suddenly nervous Natsu a wicked smirk, and smiled brightly back at Wendy, "Well Wendy, it's nice to meet you too! I'm Lucy." She leaned forward conspiratorially, "I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me just what Natsu's said about me would you?"

"Sure," Wendy said with a sweet smile, "I'd absolutely love to. After all, any bandit can be bought with the right price, and embarrassing Natsu just happens to be mine!"

Lucy laughed and Wendy took her hand to guide her into their home. Natsu idled back with Gajeel, his hand kept steady on Happy's snout.

"I don't like this," Gajeel growled, not bothering with hellos.

"So ya said," Natsu rolled his eyes, tugging lightly for his horse's attention to put him to bed in the stalls. Gajeel followed after, his feet eating up long strides to close the distance between them.

"And _you_ keep ignorin' me!" Gajeel growled, slamming his hand against stable door to keep Natsu from going on. Happy snorted nervously, but Natsu just hissed at his brother.

"You ain't thinkin' right Natsu, ya never do when somethin' like this happens" Gajeel rumbled angrily, not at all cowed by his little brother's quiet snarls.

"You're not in the frame of mind right now to go about trustin' every pretty face that bats her eyes atcha," Gajeel warned, "She seems like a nice Jane, but we don't know her. Not enough to bring her _here_."

Natsu gripped the door and yanked it open with far more force than was necessary. His eyes flamed angrily, storming inside with Happy to get him penned up. He went about his business, quietly without saying a word as he got Happy watered, fed and settled in for the night. However, Gajeel just waited him out.

Natsu had an insurmountable temper. But his brother also had the ability to reign it in until it exploded at a surprising moment.

With a stable filled with their missing sibling's horses, it was no wonder he was keeping his mouth shut until they were outside. The horses were already depressed enough as it was without their riders. So only when the stable door again shut behind Natsu, did he whip around to glare at Gajeel mutinously.

"I know the stories as well as you do, but Lucy- she, she's not like that!" Natsu snarled at Gajeel, huffing his anger out in a fresh steam that bubbled like smoke from his mouth.

"And even if she was, what're we gonna do, huh? Wait around until we get picked off one by one? It's just a matter of time!" Natsu growled, "Our closest allies are a bunch of horses! We're sitting ducks out here!"

"An' what kinda damn difference do you expect blondie in there to make?" Gajeel demanded with a hiss, "She might be a wizard, but she's damn near useless in the real world! Hasn't been away from her daddy's estates for six months yet. She don't know what it's really like, an' this ain't something you can just throw money at!"

Natsu growled and shoved his face into Gajeel's, fire erupting over his shoulders, "Lucy's a hell of a lot more than you give her credit for!" He snarled furiously, "Maybe she's soft and sometimes a pain in the ass, but she's got heart! She helped me when she didn't have to! She saved my _life_ when she didn't have to! I owe her a chance."

He pulled back, "And I aim to make sure she has it."

He stormed away from his brother and headed back to the house. Under other circumstances he might've pushed further, possibly even gotten into a fight with his brother, but this was Lucy's first night. He knew there was shaky ground on all sides right now, and if he didn't want to terrify Lucy into running back as fast as she could because he needed to reign in his temper.

Fortunately that proved easier than he'd imagined it would be. The first thing that greeted his eyes when he walked into the house was Lucy laughing with Wendy as they moved around the kitchen like they'd been cooking together for years. A smile tugged involuntarily at his lips as his temper cooled. Soft huh? Maybe she was. But that hadn't stopped her from throwing herself into her new lifestyle had it? And that counted for an awful lot.

The sight filled him with a cozy sense of calm. He wasn't sure what the feeling was, but he liked it. The sensation was a fragile flicker in his chest, a soft warmth that reminded him of the nurturing flames of Igneel and his mother's smile.

Something that felt frighteningly close to home since the discovery that their father was missing.

He tore his eyes away, unable to watch any longer in fear of that strange emotion taking over. He swayed into the room, their small home seeming much brighter with Lucy in it.

"Ladies," He grinned at them crookedly, "Puttin' Lucy to work already Wendy?"

"Am not! Lucy's puttin' the screws to me," Wendy giggled and stuck a long wooden spoon in a pot, "This was all her idea."

Curious now, he wandered in closer to the small wood burner stove. Taking a cautious sniff, he lowered his head over the pot and raised an eyebrow. Wendy was right, whatever they were making wasn't the usual mess they made.

"No touching yet." Lucy scolded, pointing a knife at him warningly, "It's not ready yet."

"What is it?" Natsu asked curiously. It didn't quite look like soup or stew, but it was softly bubbling, and honestly smelled wonderful.

Lucy smirked a bit, "It's filling."

"We makin' pies?" Natsu asked in confusion and Lucy shrugged a little as she checked another bubbling pot.

"Of a sort." She replied absently as she speared the contents of her pot with a knife and nodded in satisfaction, "Good. These are done." She glanced at Natsu speculatively, "Do you know how to drain and mash potatoes?"

Natsu snorted as he reached around her and grabbed the pot, "I ain't _that_ dumb in the kitchen!"

Though he couldn't fathom just what she was trying to put together with mashed potatoes and meat filling. Eaten up with curiosity he set to his task with a will, and forced himself to refrain from eating any of it. When he was done he watched in amazement as Lucy filled one of their few dented baking pans with a thick layer of filling and an even thicker layer of potatoes on top and slide it in the crude oven.

He didn't even notice Gajeel finally come in, glaring suspiciously at their new addition, until his brother sat down next to him while Lucy pulled the finished product out of the oven with a triumphant grin.

"There!" She exclaimed in satisfaction, "Enough shepherd's pie to feed eight." Her lips twitched a bit at Natsu, "Or maybe three dragons and a human. I haven't forgotten how much you packed away at the party you know."

Natsu stilled outright at the mention of the party, his eyes wide and somewhat taken aback by the casual comment.

Lucy's lips curled into a somewhat smug grin. She carried the strange pie over to the deeply scarred, wood table. Or rather the slab of wood sitting on top of a rain barrel.

"Are you wondering how I figured out it was you?" Lucy asked sweetly, centering the pie in the middle. Natsu closed his mouth, swallowing once and blinking in response.

"You left your mask in Precht's office and I took it with me so he wouldn't find it there," She hummed at his dumbfounded look.

"Idiot," Gajeel growled at his brother's carelessness.

A rush of wind blew up behind Natsu and tipped his hat squarely on his steaming face.

"And you were harping on me about being careful," Wendy tsked.

Natsu caught the hat with a growl and pouted at his sister, "Don't be givin' me that, I ain't the one who gets surrounded by flocks."

"It was a masquerade Natsu." Wendy replied with a hint of a sniff as she spooned up generous portions of the pie onto chipped plates and passed them around, "I didn't take my mask off, and they couldn't have identified me anyway."

Lucy cocked her head slightly, "Were you the one we passed with that lovely white and blue dress?"

Wendy smiled happily at her and nodded, "Yes! I was there to back my brother up in case a fight started, but since Natsu never blew anything up..." She shrugged, "I just enjoyed myself until it was time to go home."

"Well you certainly had the boys eating out of your hand." Lucy smiled, "What were you talking about so animatedly?"

Natsu breathed a silent sigh of relief as the two women started chatting about something other than him at the party, and took a bite of his entirely unexpected supper. His eyes widened as the combination of flavors hit his tongue, and he nearly moaned in pleasure.

It was really good. Way better than anything they could do.

"Where did you learn to cook like this?" He blurted as he eagerly chomped down another mouthful.

"I used to sneak lessons from the chef when father wasn't looking." She replied, a pleased smile curling her lips, "At least I thought I was until I was twelve and my dad slipped up and revealed he'd known all along."

She shook her head fondly, "After that the cooking lessons were incorporated into my regular studies. I didn't mind though. It's fun to take different things and create food for people to enjoy I think."

It really was amazing, and Natsu had his plate cleaned in a second. He and Gajeel eyed one another for a moment before they sprang into action at the same time for the pot.

Lucy let out a yelp of surprise and nearly tottered off her chair had she not managed to catch herself at the last second.

Wendy gave Lucy a sympathetic smile and helped steady her before turning her attention to the two males. She snagged the pot from between them and held it over her head.

"That's enough you two!" Wendy scolded in a sharp tone that had the two men freezing, "You're both acting like a bunch of animals! Lucy is nest for the time being, which makes her a queen!"

Lucy was surprised when both men backed off at once, shooting one another irritated glares but sinking back into their chairs.

At Lucy's dumbfounded look, Wendy smiled and set the pot back down. Natsu and Gajeel did nothing more than stare at it with greedy eyes.

"In a nest, we refer to women as Queens. It's as term for a female dragon, so we sort of adopted the term from our dad," Wendy explained, "The leader of a nest is a drake. It's something a dragon is born with and very rare. Out of all of us, only Gajeel and Natsu are. Even though Laxus is usually the one keeping us on the straight and narrow."

"The runt and I were too young to lead for a long time, and Laxus was the oldest," Gajeel grunted, but he still gave Lucy a somewhat annoyed glare, "We keep to the role unless the shit hits the barn door."

"So if those two are supposed to be leadin' why do they stop at the mention of a Queen?" Lucy asked, utterly fascinated.

Wendy grinned, "Because while the drakes may lead the nest it's the Queens who rule it."

Lucy frowned a little as she thought about that and shook her head, "Sorry I don't understand. How does that work?"

"It has to do with what the Queens of the nest do." Wendy explained, and frowned slightly, "Dragon society isn't exactly matriarchal, but it leans heavily in that direction. The Queens are the ones who produce the next generation. The Queens are the ones who protect the hatchlings. They don't make the rules without consulting the drakes, assuming they aren't drakes themselves, but in the absence of a drake the dominant Queen will lead and protect the nest as a whole with the others helping her."

Lucy tilted her head slightly, "The drakes aren't always male?"

"No." Wendy smiled, "It just happened to fall out that way in this nest."

Lucy nodded and glanced at the two men, "I still don't understand why they stopped like that though?"

Natsu snorted a little, "Because you ain't _just_ a Queen Lucy." He replied, "You're older than Wendy. More experienced. That makes you dominant as long as you're part of this nest." He leaned onto his elbows with a lazy grin worthy of Cobra, "And you're single. Only a dumbass would disrespect an unattached dominant Queen."

Lucy blinked at him, still not entirely sure she understood. She'd only just gotten there after all! Still, if it worked for them she wasn't going to argue with it, so she nodded a little.

"Er, okay. Um, you can have some more as long as you take turns and don't make a mess?" She replied a little uncertainly, "And Natsu you may need to re-heat the pan a little."

Natsu snorted and rolled his eyes, "She don't mean ya gotta give us orders, just that we gotta make sure you 'n Wendy get fair shares."

But he still dropped his hands to either side of the dish, his eyes locking on Lucy's, "You'll get the hang of it, 'm sure."

His hands pulled away after a moment once it was suitably reheated, "I've told you for us, family is more important than anything else. Without a nest, a dragon can go mad. So it ain't hard to imagine why Queens are respected so much."

He grunted and pulled away for a moment, drawing his hand around to scratch at his shoulder blade.

"Itchin'?" Gajeel asked Natsu, who snorted in response and shoved himself up.

"Yeah," Natsu's chair scraped across the floor and he eyed Lucy, "You stay put. Gonna take a leak."

Lucy made a face at him, "Like I would follow you?"

He barked out a laugh before stomping back outside. He scratched again at his shoulders as he moved out past the barn where he wouldn't be in direct sight of the house.

"Agh!" He huffed irritably as he pulled his shirt off, "Why now damnit?"

He grumbled as his shoulder blades shifted and itched some more, the small lumps under the skin growing by the moment. They didn't hurt, but the itching had always driven him mad. His dad had always assured him that it would go away as he got better control, but it hadn't happened yet.

He shivered all over as the lumps swelled abruptly and grit his teeth as they burst through his back. It didn't really hurt, but it was a very strange sensation that bordered on uncomfortable. Supposedly that would clear up as well once he learned how to relax and let it happen.

Personally he had his doubts about that.

He grunted a little as he rubbed at the newly emerged wings and the red scales that came with them. This was part of his heritage, and he was proud of it, but he sincerely wished it was less awkward. Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do about it now. Draco had informed them that only time and practice would allow for full control.

He just wished it would happen sooner rather than later. His wings kept coming out at odd times, and he didn't know why. Something that was bad enough on a good day, but downright dangerous right now.

Especially with Lucy not far away.

He didn't even want to think about what her reaction would be if she saw him like this.

* * *

 _ **I wanna say thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! As always, you guys are rock stars! Alas, you didn't quite make the 30 review cut off for a preview, so you'll have to suffer with no glimpse of what's going to happen until Sunday! Muahahahahahahaha! Ahem, sorry, I was channeling Mslead there for a second. *wink***_

 _ **See you Sunday my loves!**_


	13. That Dog Won't Hunt

_**Hello lovelies! Mslead here to bring you your Sunday update! Just a note before we begin! As many of you may be aware, there is a fic called Into the Ring that I, MSLEAD, am part of with Snogfairy and Toxineena. This account is a completely separate one that Kytrin shares. She has no part of my side projects with other authors. As such, we would so, so, so appreciate it if you left questions about ITR or the Eviltrinity to the account it belongs to. Or you can contact MSLEAD on tumblr about it.**_

 _ **That being said, ITR is almost done. I've been working on the last part for a bit since it's been difficult to align schedules with Snogfairy and Toxineena. But it is getting worked on. **_

_**This goes for other projects on this account as well. This started off as my solo account, so there are some stories on here that I started by myself. Kytrin is more than welcome to jump on some of those projects, but we have our own stories we've planned for and are working on. So I hope this doesn't cause any hard feelings! Anyway, have a great day and enjoy the chapter!**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 13**

 **That Dog Won't Hunt**

 _That idea or argument isn't going to work. Or, the person saying it doesn't believe what you're saying._

* * *

Natsu stared up at the moon, bemoaning his luck over having the change happen to him as Lucy was there with them. He of course didn't want to frighten her but at the same time had little interest in staying out all night. Especially as they so rarely returned 'home.'

They were mostly nomadic in nature, but sometimes they allowed themselves a moment to rest their heads. It wasn't much, but it was a place they called home and it was decent enough when they got old enough to carve out their little patch of land. A temporary place for themselves.

He wasn't too happy with the idea of leaving Lucy alone with Wendy and Gajeel while he was stuck outside.

Wendy wasn't a problem, but Gajeel definitely was. There was no telling what his older brother would do to try and scare Lucy off. He just hoped she proved as resilient as her gumption and was able to brush him off.

But really.

Why now?

His father had told him Igneel had been a passionate dragon. A fierce king that's fiery nature often flooded out in an instinctual way. So Natsu struggled a bit more than the others with his magic.

Especially when it came to his wings. Sometimes they'd just appear when he was fighting with his siblings or when he was riled up. It was a definite pain in the ass, since as a drake his wings were larger than normal. Something about showing off and intimidation, Natsu didn't really know if he was honest.

But it didn't make sense. Why would they show up now when he was talking about nest things to Lucy? He stretched them out, the tips dragging across the ground as they flapped open, spreading out into the open air around him.

He let out a soft groan of pleasure at the feel of cool wind catching in the webbing of his wings, pushing him up enough for his heels to lift off the ground. As tempting as it was to take to the air, his blood already beginning to race at the idea, he knew it wouldn't be a smart idea. Reluctantly he folded his wings back by his sides and grumbled quietly under his breath. He didn't notice the eyes on him.

On a bluff downwind from Natsu, Lucy's guildmates stared at the strange dragon thing in horror.

"What the hell is that?" Gray hissed in alarm, his fear for Lucy spiking.

"I don't know." Erza replied grimly, a sword appearing in her hand, "But we can't allow it to attack Lucy!"

Natsu looked up sharply as his ears picked up a disorganized battle cry, and his eyes widened as he found half a dozen humans charging for him.

"What the hell?!" He yelped as he dodged a powerful sword swing only to come face to face with some pretty boy that wasn't wearing a shirt.

"Ice make hammer!" The guy shouted and Natsu roared in mingled surprise and pain as he was nailed in the chest and sent flying. The shock of their sudden appearance took him by surprise, never having expected humans to come here.

After all they were always so careful about being followed.

A touch of betrayal shot at Natsu as he couldn't help but wonder if these were allies brought by Lucy.

Inside the house all movement stopped at the sound of that roar, and a moment later all three occupants were scrambling for the door.

Lucy's jaw dropped to the ground as she found her guildmates squaring off against... "Is that Natsu?!"

"Damn human." Gajeel snarled, getting ready for an attack, "I knew we shouldn't've trusted you!"

Lucy frowned, and sprinted out into the fray. She ignored shouts from everyone as she ran and skidded to a halt between her guild and Natsu.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" She shouted at her guildmates, Natsu firmly behind her. She had no idea what was going on, or why Natsu suddenly looked so different, but she wasn't about to let them attack him unprovoked like that.

There was a flare of angry heat behind Lucy, flames beginning to drip from Natsu's mouth like fiery wisps. He snarled warningly, but his fists curled up at his sides. His eyes burned into the back of Lucy's head.

"Lucy! We didn't see you, we got worried when the only thing we saw was-" Gray blurted, jolting into a steady stance as Natsu exploded forward a few steps.

"Saw what? _Me_? The frightening demon the desert?" Natsu snarled at Gray, rage burning in his eyes. He turned his attention to Lucy, teeth gritting together, "Why are they here?"

The unasked _did you know about this? Did you have us followed?_ burned in the implication of his voice. He sunk back a step with Wendy and Gajeel.

"Natsu," Lucy said after a moment, struggling to keep control of a situation that was wildly beginning to spin out of control. Especially with tensions running high. The dragons were extremely secretive and insular, and Lucy was beginning to realize that even being invited in was very close to actual trust.

A trust she was now trying to salvage by the dark suspicion now burning in Natsu's eyes. It spoke volumes though that the dragons hadn't attacked in kind yet, instead were pacing aggressively behind her.

Erza stepped forward before Gray could open his mouth and spit anything back at Natsu to undoubtedly make the situation worse.

"Lucy didn't know we would be following her. All she did was inform us of where she was going so we'd be able to cover her absence with her aunt while she was gone. It was my decision to follow you here and as a result attack," Erza took responsibility, also sensing they had somehow trampled all over what was already a delicate situation.

Lucy leveled a glare at her guildmates, none too happy with them at the moment, "I can't believe you guys!" She growled in frustrated anger before taking a deep breath and turning to Natsu, "I'm sorry. I didn't know they would, or could, do this."

She rubbed her hand over her guild mark, "Despite that I shouldn't be surprised. These guys are a little like my nest. I should've realized something like this could happen and warned you."

She met Natsu's eyes fearlessly, if a tad nervously, "If you want them to leave I'll make sure they leave." She hesitated, "And... if you want me to go with them, I'll respect that. No matter what you have my word I'll still do everything I can to help your family."

"You're damn right we want you to lea-" Gajeel started angrily, but was cut off when Natsu's wings spread in front of him. He was studying Lucy intently and took a wary step forward.

"You mean that." He growled lowly, "You'd really send them away if we told you to?"

Lucy nodded slowly, "Yes. Though I would prefer it if you considered getting to know them too. The entire reason they're here is they were afraid I would get hurt. And the only way to prove that won't happen is if they can see it with their own eyes."

"An' what about _them_ attackin' _us_ huh?" Gajeel demanded, "They've already done it once! Why the hell should we trust either them _or_ you?"

Lucy took a deep breath and unhooked her keys from her belt, causing the dragons to tense again, "I see now that my word means nothing to you." She said carefully, "It's actions that matter. Therefore, I will remain unarmed for the duration of this visit." She held the keys out to a stunned looking Natsu, "I will trust you to return these to me when this is over."

Natsu blankly took the keys with a finger, his eyes dropping down to the golden keys jingling on their ring.

They seemed to chime accusingly at Natsu, as if he were personally responsible for the complete insanity that had just happened.

He considered for a moment, his face schooling into a neutral expression.

Weighing the keys in his palm once, he tossed them back to Lucy, wings folding behind his back, "Sorry Miss Lucy, that ain't good enough."

-::-

The desert at night was when Acnologia felt most at peace. The world was quiet save the occasional coyote howling at the moon, its lonely calls trying to find its lost pack. How did Acnologia relate to the creature, searching far for its home.

Acnologia had not had a place to call his home in a very long time. The idea of ever having one was too foreign for him to comprehend in its entirety.

He didn't know, but he was soon to find out should the plan Zeref had came together. For them all, it would be just a matter of time.

Now all he had to do was find the whelps that crashed in the desert. They had a certain stubbornness about them to plan the escape they had. Unfortunately they hadn't taken into account the safety pods weren't equipped for dragons.

Oddly enough, that was perhaps what might have saved them longer from captivity. Flight patterns Acnologia could hunt down and understand.

Free falling aimlessly to crash land in the desert? That was a different thing altogether.

Acnologia wandered into a quiet desert town, a little south from where he found the wreckage. No doubt the dragons had crawled into the desert for shelter in the night, believing town would be too obvious a place to hide. They were right of course, but that didn't mean Acnologia was going to trek all through the desert to try and find them either.

At least not immediately. The trail would hold, poor though it was.

It was dark, and only those walking home from the saloon were out on the road. Many humans gave Acnologia a wide berth, instinctively sensing a predator. It was an act that suited him fine.

He ignored them as he made his own way to the saloon. It wasn't so late the place would be closing yet, and though he had no love of humans it would be good to get something wet on his throat.

All sound stopped as he swung the door open and stomped inside. He shot the occupants a contemptuous sneer before clomping his way over to the bar and nodding at what he wanted as he slapped down some money. He had no wish to interact with these people more than necessary. They might've been four hundred years removed from what happened to his beloved nest, but they were still the same slimy breed. Not a single one among them worthy of so much as a dragon speaking to them.

He grunted again as his drink was plopped in front of him and took a long pull, idly listening to the buzz around him. More out of boredom than because he expected it to be interesting.

"What's a pretty thing like you doin' in here?" A male voice drawled to his left.

Acnologia glanced over to find the apparent leader of a group of three attempting to cozy up to a blond woman sitting just down from him. Ordinarily he wouldn't care. Most of the women who came into places like this were either working for the place, selling something, or both. This woman, however, clearly didn't fit into any of those categories.

She was sitting on his side of the bar, drinking instead of serving, and there was absolutely nothing indecent about her finely tailored outfit. Even if it was a bit different from what most women wore.

Curious now, he watched as she raised an eyebrow at the speaker and lifted her mug a little, "I'm obviously having a drink." She replied in a tone that implied he was a moron for not having figure that out.

Acnologia's lips twitched a little involuntarily. She had sass that was for sure.

"Wouldn't you be more comfortable at a table?" The man invited with a leer, "You could join us. Plenty of room." He raked his eyes over her, "We could talk and get to know each other better."

The woman sighed a little in clear exasperation, though from the way the men grinned stupidly as she smiled at them it was pretty clear they'd missed it.

"I would appreciate it if you would go over to your table and leave me alone." She purred in a sugar sweet voice, "Really I would." The smile on her face widened, "You see, I'm trying to have a nice relaxing drink and read my book while I do." She tapped the book pointedly, "So could you gentlemen maybe run along and let me get back to what I was doing?"

The man teetered forward on drunken heels, his hand wrapping around the woman's upper arm. She jerked against his hold and scowled at him.

"You'd best let go of me sir, I'd hate to embarrass you in front of your friends," the woman said with such a frosty air, Acnologia quirked an eyebrow at the tone. A woman making such threats to a gaggle of drunken men? It was sure to be more interesting than the other idle chatter going on around them.

"That ain't a way for a lady to talk now is it? Too much of a lip on ya, all ya need is a man to beat some manners in ya," the man growled, slinking forward and slamming a fist against the table.

Causing Acnologia's drink to jump on the counter...

...and roll right into his lap.

It was such a shame, he was actually beginning to enjoy his dinner theater.

Acnologia turned towards the man slowly, whose attention was still focused entirely on the woman. But she seemed to have sensed something the man hadn't, and the woman was sitting still, looking over her shoulder at him.

Acnologia hated humans, yes. But he also hated the fact how humans rarely listened to one another as well. And they disrespected the Queens of their race. Such an act was reprehensible.

So picking up his cup with one hand from his lap, he reached over with his other to grasp the man by his ascot.

Without saying a word, Acnologia tugged down once.

The man's head went cracking with such force into the countertop, the skin on his forehead split open and he passed out unconscious and bleeding.

The woman watched with amazement as the man slumped over to the floor while Acnologia glared at his wet lap.

"I owe you my thanks sir." The woman said, pulling his attention away from his wet lap, "Ordinarily I would offer you a fresh drink to replace the one you lost, but something tells me you would rather not hang around the trash here longer than necessary."

She cocked her head slightly, and he blinked a little as he realized she wasn't afraid of him now that the moment had passed. That was strange.

"Are you staying in town?" She asked, and he shrugged a little, confused why she would ask that.

"Hadn't planned on it." He rumbled, aware that he couldn't get away without speaking indefinitely, "Passin' through."

The woman raised an eyebrow at him and glanced at the setting sun, "If you head out now you won't get very far." She smiled, "Please, allow me to pay for a room for you for the night. It's the least I can do."

Acnologia stared at her in shock. She wanted to buy him a room to stay in because he'd smashed some human's head through the bar for spilling his drink?

Okay, so maybe to her it looked like he'd helped her out. He supposed he couldn't really fault that, and for a human she wasn't half bad. She had a backbone anyway, which was more than most of her species could say.

He cocked his head slightly, "Seems a bit much for bashin' a guy through the bar don't it?"

Her lips twitched into a wry smirk, "Perhaps. But unless I'm wrong about the drink there's nothing else I'd be willing to offer you, and I _do_ owe you something. Even if helping me was more a side effect than an intention."

Acnologia couldn't help but grunt in acknowledgement to the point she made. He had been walking and flying for a long time, staying overnight wouldn't hurt him anywhere as far as time went, and he had already decided to pick up his search later on.

Besides, this woman interested him. Of course not enough to distract him from the main goal of his objective, but enough to delay him for a day or two to sleuth out her mystery.

"Besides," the woman said coyly, standing up as she saw him push his chair out, "it's getting dark and a lady like myself shouldn't be walkin' out as late as it is. Not without a gentleman to escort her part of the way o' course."

Acnologia stared at the woman mystified but said nothing at the humored smile she gave him when she gathered her book.

"'lright," He muttered, keeping otherwise silent as the woman stood up and lead them out of the saloon.

"My name is Anna Heartfilia," She introduced herself with a smile, "My niece is off having adventures of her own right now, so I'm grateful to the company mister...?"

She trailed off, looking at him questioning.

He tilted his head back to her, considering using a false name for a moment, before he figured there was no harm in using his actual one.

"Acnologia."

* * *

 _ **You guys got your sneak peek for next chapter! Good job guys, I had to pick out something good for you guys as a gift though ;D**_

* * *

 _Meanwhile, back out in the desert, Lucy was staring at Natsu in mingled confusion and worry._

 _"Not good enough?" She asked, "But... why?"_

 _Natsu's lips tilted a little into a hint of the roguish grin she was so used to, "Because you ain't the problem." He replied calmly, his stance relaxing as his decision settled firmly, "We are."_


	14. Acknowledge the Corn

_**Hey guys! Kytrin here with your Wednesday chapter! Enjoy! :)**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 14**

 _ **Acknowledge the Corn**_

 _To admit the truth, to confess a lie, or acknowledge an obvious personal shortcoming._

* * *

Meanwhile, back out in the desert, Lucy was staring at Natsu in mingled confusion and worry.

"Not good enough?" She asked, "But... why?"

Natsu's lips tilted a little into a hint of the roguish grin she was so used to, "Because you ain't the problem." He replied calmly, his stance relaxing as his decision settled firmly, "We are."

"I... don't understand."

Natsu sighed and dropped a hand to his hips, "You're a celestial wizard Miss Lucy." He told her, "You're bound by your word. If you say you didn't know then that's the truth an' we should know it." He glanced at his siblings, "But more important than that, we gotta give if we're gonna get."

He looked past her to the Fairy Tail group watching the scene tensely, "I ain't happy with you." He said honestly, "An' I don't exactly trust you." He looked back at Lucy, "But I can't fault 'em for doing what my nest would've done if things were reversed."

He stepped up to her, "You've gone out of your way to try an' prove you're sincere about helping us. You came out here all on your own when you didn't have to so you could prove yourself. Well, you've earned _my_ trust. And it's about time we did some proving back."

He studied the humans behind her again, "If Lucy trusts you and says you won't attack again, then I'm willing to believe her." He met Lucy's wide brown eyes and smiled, "I'll meet ya halfway Miss Lucy. That a deal?"

"You're serious?" Gajeel said, his face twisted into an expression of unhappiness. Natsu bared his fangs at Gajeel and nodded. His older brother fell silent with a growl of distaste, but continued to eye them with suspicion even if he didn't say anything else.

Lucy eyed Gajeel for a second before she flashed her gaze up at Natsu and nodded. She extended a hand to seal the contract, and Natsu grasped her hand, the contract settling into place over what had once been their previously broken deal.

He gave the other members of Fairy Tail an annoyed look.

"No shepard's pie for you though," He sneered at Gray, "Especially not you. I don't like your face."

"What was that Scales?" Gray gaped, recovering enough to advance a few steps before Levy flung her arms around his middle to get him to stop.

"You wanna go human? Please give me the chance to turn you to ashes, I'm rarin' for a fight," he spoke with a purr to his voice, wings twitching on either side of him.

"Alright, you boys play nice," Lucy sighed, watching as Natsu settled back down with a huff.

"So," She asked, closing another step to him and reaching out another hand to lightly brush the edge of his wing, "you can fly?"

Natsu shivered a little at the _delightful_ sensation Lucy petting his wing created, and offered her a smile and a small nod, "Yeah." He stretched a wing out and sighed at it, "Control's still shaky though. Sometimes they come out when I don't want them to."

Lucy's eyes widened, "So that's why you left suddenly! You knew they were coming, and didn't want me to see!"

She frowned a little as she took in as much of his appearance as she could in the moonlight, "But why? I already knew you were half dragon. It only makes sense that you would have something like this."

Natsu gaped at her. She wasn't scared or horrified of this form? He glanced at his siblings and could see the exact same thought on their faces as well.

"That form ain't exactly human lookin' ya know." Gajeel pointed out, somewhat condescendingly.

Lucy rolled her eyes, "I'm hardly blind sir." She replied tartly, and shrugged at Natsu, "Sorry, but that's more interesting than scary to me. If not human looking put me off I wouldn't have half the contracts I do."

Natsu opened his mouth to reply, and froze when he couldn't come up with a good answer. She had a point. Suddenly he felt kind of like an idiot for assuming she would panic over his dragon form.

"Well, it seems like things are settling down now." Levy spoke up, interrupting the somewhat comical tableaux, "We don't wish to intrude on you, so would it be alright if we borrowed your barn to stay in?"

Natsu blinked at her and shrugged a little, "Sure. Just don't bother the horses. Some of 'em kick."

"Mainly Carla and Cubelios, they can be a little temperamental," Wendy spoke up.

"I'll set ya up," Gajeel growled at them, "Don't want you three up to any funny business. Blondie here was bad enough but at least she's met Salamander more than the time he was in a cage."

He gave Erza a pointed glare and walked off to the barn with the rest of the members in tow.

Natsu swallowed, his heart pounding in his chest now that they had danced around that invisible line of fight or flight.

"Well, that was somethin,' wasn't it princess?" He drawled, putting on an air of ease.

"I'd say," Lucy said, "wasn't expecting the company to be certain."

She shot a curious look at Gajeel's retreating back, "Is he... uh, always like that?"

"He goes through spurts of it," Natsu admitted, "I reckon he's just gettin' antsy because there's so many of you and we're outnumbered here."

Lucy nodded, "I guess I can't blame him for that." She eyed him curiously, "Will you be alright to come back in for the rest of supper?"

Natsu blinked a little and grinned, "Yeah. Yeah, that should be fine."

-::-

Lucy awoke the next morning to the sound of boots stomping around in other parts of the house and doors slamming shut. She groaned a little and pulled a pillow over her head , but in addition to the noise the most delicious smells of coffee and pancakes began tickling her nose. A small whine escaped her as she attempted to burrow further into her nest of blankets, but it was no use. She was too awake.

She sighed as her stomach growled at her petulantly and she became aware that it was starting to get uncomfortably hot in her little nest. A sure sign the sun had been up for a while and it was past time to start the day.

She grumbled a little mutinously as she reluctantly flung the covers back and sat up. Thankfully it only took her a couple minutes to get dressed and make herself presentable before stumbling out of her room in search of coffee at the very least.

She might give Gajeel a run for his money on growling if she didn't get some soon.

"Good morning Lucy!" Erza greeted _far_ too stridently for Lucy's taste as soon as she walked into the kitchen, "There's coffee on the table. Help yourself."

Lucy nodded and shuffled over to the table to sit next to Natsu, "How'd Erza wind up taking over the kitchen?" She mumbled sleepily as she carefully poured and doctored her cup, "I thought she was banished to the barn?"

She took a careful sip and sighed in bliss as the golden substance warmed her.

"Heck if I know." Natsu asked, curiously watching this early morning version of Lucy, "I came down and she was already here." He stuffed a rasher of bacon in his mouth, "I ain't gonna complain though, she brought food."

"A peace offering," Erza supplied without turning around.

Lucy drank her coffee with a happy sigh, keeping her eyes closed to take in the roasted scent. Erza made a great cup, and she relished in having one warm between her hands.

"That woman's like a force of nature, ain't she?" Natsu asked, grinning at her over his own tin cup.

"I suppose you could very well say that," Lucy allowed, clearing her throat as she let the coffee work its magic through her veins.

"So what did you have in mind as far as planning went?" Lucy asked him, "We know who to go after next, but Hades isn't an easy target."

Natsu nodded, looking somewhat troubled by this himself, like he had thought of this very problem.

"Hades' is right, and he's got plenty of men and power at his disposal," he crunched around his mouthful of bacon, "My plan was just 'attack.'"

"Elegant," Lucy said, not without sarcasm.

"Instead of going out of our way to draw his ire though, I say we use our assets to our advantage," Lucy gave him a sly smile, "I can try and get you in close to him. And once you've got him, we can get the answers out of him."

"I dunno 'bout that, anyone willing to consort with the likes of Acnologia are 'bound to be crazier than a bag of cats," Natsu looked unimpressed, "but it's as good as any plan we've got, so we might as well give it a shot."

"Thank you _so_ much for the vote of confidence." Lucy drawled blandly.

"It's a plan that could work." Levy spoke up thoughtfully as Erza expertly flipped a pancake onto a plate and dropped it in front of Lucy, "The question will be if Lu's willing to risk Heartfilia Rails' connection to Hades?"

She shot her friend and apologetic look and Lucy scowled into her pancakes as she poured the syrup, "It's not a question of if. Hades is slime. He's been using _our_ railroad to supply his...whatever this is. Army? Outlaw group? It doesn't matter. My family has too much integrity to deal with people like that."

"Yes." Erza replied, "But is it not also a lucrative contract? I doubt your father will be happy if you damage relations and it turns out wrong."

Lucy shook her head, "It's not wrong. I've seen the evidence myself. Father might not like it, but he'll be angrier that he didn't find it out himself."

Erza nodded, "Then your plan is a good one. Hades will trust you and that will give you the advantage in luring him. We must plan this carefully however. If we lose this chance there won't be another one."

"What other plannin' do you want?" Gajeel grumbled as he stomped inside, though his expression turned slightly less sour when Erza shoved a large plate in his hands, "Blondie's seems sound."

"We have to decide how many are going to go with Lucy for starters..." Erza began, but was interrupted when Natsu dropped his fork on his plate with a clatter.

"The nest will go with her." He said flatly, "She's one of us and we'll protect her. Besides, those are _our_ brothers he's got information on."

Lucy curled her hand around Natsu's wrist, "Natsu..."

His hand curled into a reflexive fist under Lucy's hold, air rushing out through his nose in a shaky exhale.

"Lets think this through, okay? It has to be small, and we can't draw a lot of attention to ourselves either," Lucy reasoned, "Everyone here is equally as motivated to protect me, for their own reasons, but not all of us find the other totally trustworthy just yet."

"So why don't we separate the group into pairings then? At least one Fairy Tail member and one Slayer." Lucy suggested, "Natsu and I can team up since we've worked together before. Erza and Gray you can be with Wendy, while Gajeel you can team with Levy."

Levy was the most likely to be able to get through Gajeel's gruff exterior. Erza could be too demanding with her presence, but would also be a stable force for Wendy, while Gray would behave while supervised by the redhead.

That, and as gruff as Gray acted sometimes, he really was a gentleman.

"Natsu and I will approach Hades from the open," Lucy eyed the hot tempered Slayer, "Erza, your group will find where Hades' next shipment is going out while Gajeel and Levy hit it."

Levy swallowed a little at that, looking a tad nervous, "You want us to rob a train?"

Gajeel let out a 'tch' under his breath and rolled his eyes, "Don't tell me you're gonna saddle me with a greenhorn."

Levy spun towards Gajeel, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment, but her expression fierce, "Just worry about yourself then Gajeel. I'm sure this 'greenhorn' will handle herself just fine no matter what plan we come up with."

Gajeel raised a slow eyebrow at her and offered her a grin that was more fang than smile, "Not sure what you think a little shrimp like you can do." He cackled a little, "I'd be surprised if you didn't go blowin' off in the wind first thing."

Levy's expression darkened a fraction and before Gajeel could say anything else she whipped out her pen and scribbled the word iron in the air. Gajeel had one moment to stare at the suddenly solid word in surprise before it crashed directly onto his head.

"I'm not as helpless as I might look!" She hissed indignantly.

"B'ahahahahahahahahaha!" Natsu roared while Gajeel shook away the stars, "That was awesome!" He grinned eagerly at her, "Can you make other stuff?" His eyes widened in hope, "Oh! Can you make fire?"

Levy stared at him in surprised confusion, "Uh, I could sure. Anything I write becomes real. Why?"

Natsu slid his chair out and darted over to her, "Oh would you _please_ make me some fire?" He begged, "I haven't had any of the good stuff in so long!"

There was the sound of metal scraping against metal, and Gajeel snorted, "Paws off Salamander. That's my partner."

Levy's jaw dropped as she watched Gajeel sinking his teeth into the iron word with every expression of bliss, "What? He's _eating_ the metal?"

"We're dragons." Natsu replied factually, "Of course we eat our elements." He turned back to Gajeel, his expression immediately turning back into a scowl, "And that's not fair man! You didn't even want her as your partner a minute ago! You can't hog her element words all to yourself now!"

"Wait, wait, what do you mean the _good_ stuff?" Levy demanded, unable to let go of the absolute madness which was them devouring raw magic.

Natsu huffed and let out a grumpy little whine, "Well we can live off normal food and all, but if we eat our own element it gives us more energy and a power boost. It revitalizes us, and all I've eaten as far as fire goes is whatever I can sneak from old wood stoves in saloons." He made a face of disgust.

"Not fair though, Gajeel can eat all the scraps from the railroad and never run out," He made a pathetic sounding whine.

Levy blinked and pulled her pen out again to scrawl out the word 'FIRE' from thin air if nothing else than to put an end to the whining.

Natsu let out an overjoyed noise as the flames flickered to life out of thin air, his eyes growing as wide as saucers. He caught the flames in his hands unburned by them.

Natsu made a dreamy sound and began to eat them, just as excited and ravenous as Gajeel.

Lucy and Levy traded looks with one another and Lucy shrugged a little.

"We saw Gajeel chew apart Natsu's cage before in Everlue's estate." She mumbled, taking another sip of her coffee, "It's not really any weirder than some of the stuff Fairy Tail does."

Levy had to concede her friend had a point.

Lucy, however, was a little distracted by the utter look of pleasure on Natsu's face as he devoured the flames, uncaring of the absolute bliss he seemed to be experiencing. The noises he was making were almost indecent.

"Need a moment alone with those?" She asked, her lips quirking up in amusement at the sight of his too tender hold on the flames.

Natsu glanced up at her, a smoldering look in the back of his eyes that made her breath catch a little, and smirked as he curled his hands protectively closer to his chest, "Nope." He purred, "I'm going to enjoy these at their freshest and hottest."

He sank his fangs into another bite with a soft moan, clearly lost in his own little world. Lucy glanced at the others and shrugged before picking up her fork to finish her own breakfast.

She couldn't quite resist glancing over to watch him as he ate though.

* * *

 ** _Real quick, I wanna give a quick message to our guest reviewer who was worried about offending us with inquiries about Into the Ring... don't worry about it. We weren't offended. We've just gotten more than one question about it, and wanted to try and clear up any confusion before folks started messaging me directly or something when I wouldn't know any more than they did lol._**

 ** _Thanks as always to our many wonderful reviewers! You guys are the MVPs. You really are. We love you all. Please enjoy your preview for the next chapter. You more than earned it!_**

 _"'Here there be dragons,' hm?" She smiled at Sting, "My name is Yukino, this is my friend Libra. She'll be able to help carry your brother."_

 _The explanation wasn't needed as Sting knew quite well what many of the celestial spirits did from their father's stories. Still, Sting held still as the woman, Yukino, gestured towards Libra._

 _Soon, Rogue was as weightless as a feather, capable of being easily carried. Yukino took on the task herself, her smile polite and gentle._

 _"What may I call you sir?" Yukino asked him, prodding gently for a name._

 _For a moment he considered lying, but saw no real point to it._

 _"I'm Sting, this is Rogue," he said tiredly._


	15. Bad Box

**_Hey loves! Kytrin here again! Mslead just got back from a trip to Florida and is super tired, so I'm doing this chapter too. Apologies for the late hour on it. I was distracted by RL stuff. Enjoy!_ **

* * *

**CHAPTER 15**

 _ **Bad Box**_

 _To be in a bad box, is to be in a bad predicament._

* * *

Acnologia scowled a little as he roamed through the human town. It was a mildly interesting place as such places went. Certainly it was a growing town if the amount of construction going on was any indication. It made him glad he was here when he was honestly. If this had been a century further along there was a decent chance he would've had to deal with a large city instead.

He hated cities.

They always had so many people it was nearly impossible to get a fix on anyone.

As it was he'd been wandering for the better part of the day trying to figure out where the Heartfilia woman lived. She'd gone above and beyond for him the night before, not only getting a room but arranging all expenses and amenities to be billed to her, and he wanted to know why.

He'd heard of Heartfilia before of course. Heartfilia Rails was a cornerstone of Zeref's operation. He knew vaguely that they were a matriarchal family, but that the family patriarch was in control at the moment due to his wife's death. But that was all he knew.

And he was reluctantly curious to find out more.

His nose twitched, trying to search out a trail for her scent in the bustling area. He knew it had to be close by to the place he boarded up for the night, after all she made a comment about him walking part of the way home at night. It could only mean she was nearby.

So for a while he just wandered around aimlessly, sniffing every now and then in hopes of catching wind of her again. While It was true that Magnolia seemed to be growing, there still weren't that many people present so she shouldn't have been too difficult to find.

Of course he was proven correct when he managed to come across a quaint looking home with a white porch and shutters.

It was cute, and the flower boxes on the windowsills were lined with pink flowers that looked like they should have struggled to grow in the climate.

Curious he ventured closer,his curiosity gripping him closer as he creaked up the steps to the porch and lingered by the doorframe. Unsure of how to proceed now that he found the place he was looking for, he decided the whole thing was stupid when he turned to walk away and march down those steps to never return.

At least that was the plan until he came face to face with Anna, who was walking up the porch with an armful of groceries from the local general store.

She looked surprised to see him, but not too alarmed. Which he supposed was the benefit of living in a small town.

"Enjoy your night?" She asked, her smile kind.

Acnologia stared at her uncomprehendingly for a moment, his mind blank at the realization he was seeing her again, and she looked even prettier in the full light of day.

Not that he cared if she was pretty.

He snorted and crossed his arms, "Yeah. It was nice." He replied gruffly, a little annoyed the queen had been so nice to him, but his instincts demanding he respond to it, "Thanks."

Anna smiled at him, "It was my pleasure sir." She replied, "Shifting her groceries, "Ah, would you care to come inside? I don't mean to seem rude, but these are getting rather heavy..."

Acnologia eyed the bags for a moment and snorted again as he plucked them from her arms and stepped aside so she could open the door. It was a good thing he didn't intend her any harm. Inviting him in would've been an invitation to the kinds of depravities only humans were capable of if he were anyone else.

"Thank you." Anna smiled as she held open the door and guided him to the kitchen.

The interior of the house was nice too Acnologia noted. More colorful, but decorated in warm colors that seemed to invite someone to sit down and relax. For a human lair it wasn't bad. Most of them seemed to live far worse.

"So," Anna spoke up as she bustled around the kitchen, "What brings you to Magnolia at all?" She glanced at him and waved at a small table next to some windows, "Go on and sit down!" She shooed, "The chairs won't bite."

Distinctly amused now, Acnologia wandered over to one of the chairs and sat down. This strange woman reminded him a little of his mother. Bright and cheerful, but not above giving orders. It was... bemusing.

Acnologia blinked when he settled down in the chair though, his nose twitching as he picked up an unusual scent. It was several days old, but still present.

Smoke.

Fire.

His fingers tapped against the tabletop, his eyes roaming the surface as he picked up that scent that was so old, but achingly familiar. The sharp scent of dragon magic. Igneel.

At once he stiffened in his seat, eyes roaming up to Anna as he sat in quiet wonder.

This woman. Had she come in contact with one of his brothers? The one possessing the flame of the fire king? It was a wonder to be certain, and Acnologia wasn't sure what it meant.

Why would one of his brother's come into a human's home and sit at their table? Surely they knew better than that? After all, they were a deeply suspicious group. For good reason too.

So why did his fiery brother wander into _this_ house?

It seemed his brother had a connection to the Heartfilia's that Acnologia didn't know about. He eyed Anna warily and considered turning violence towards her to find out the answers. His hostess was distracted and wouldn't sense an attack coming for her.

He could pull the house apart with no interruptions if he cared to.

However, he told himself if he did that, there was a chance he could spook away anyone who was looking in on her. He didn't want to blow a chance to capture his remaining siblings while the injured ones limped away in the desert.

Which meant he would have to interact with the human to gain his information. An irritating prospect to be sure. She'd been entertaining the night before, but it was debatable if she actually had anything besides fluff between her ears. Book or not. Still, he'd done far more tedious things than fish for information, and while he detested dealing with humans he knew how to get information out of them.

"I'm looking for my brother." He replied lowly to her earlier question, "I've heard a man of his description came through here not long ago and was hoping to find him."

"Oh my!" Anna exclaimed as she looked up and carried a tray of refreshments over, "Is he in trouble of some kind?"

Acnologia snorted out a chuckle and smirked as he politely took his teacup, finding it the height of irony that _he_ was having tea with a human Queen, "Not in any official sense." He replied, "Brat just needs to come home and help deal with some family business."

Anna nodded with a smile, "I know something about difficult siblings." She replied in amusement, "My elder sister was exceptionally hard headed, even for a Heartfilia. She refused to marry who she was told to and struck out on her own." She chuckled, "Daddy was furious, and I don't think it helped in later years when I grew up just the same minus the magic. And

mother refused to disown us like he wanted her to." She shook her head wryly, "He really should've known. Independence runs in the Heartfilia women."

"Does it now?" Acnologia replied with interest, wondering if perhaps it was that independent streak his little brother had tangled with and been drawn in by. It wouldn't really surprise him. Dragons, especially drakes, were drawn to capable queens.

Anna nodded, "Oh yes. My niece is a perfect example."

Acnologia sat back and listened attentively as Anna chattered about her niece, the guild joining celestial wizard. He'd paid little attention to the younger Heartfilia before now, and was beginning to wish he had. She was a force to be reckoned with if nothing else, and from the descriptions his hostess gave he was willing to bet she'd turned his fiery little brother's head quite expertly.

What other reason could there be for one of them to fall so willingly into a human's house? It wasn't exactly the most safe environment for them.

A flicker of intuition came to him in a jolt, his palm flattening against the table as he listened attentively to each of Anna's stories about her family. Zeref had mentioned Hades' shipments were being interrupted, and much of his cargo was transported by Heartfilia rail lines.

Perhaps his theory was more on point than he realized. If Anna was correct and her niece had inherited the Heartfilia bullheadedness, it could be she was the one orchestrating the attacks that held up Hades' shipments.

Perhaps the younger Heartfilia was more of a threat than he anticipated.

Especially if she had his little brother curled around her finger.

This was a situation that would require his full attention. He'd have to send a message to Zeref to have someone else hunt the twins in the desert. This would take priority over all else. The last thing he wanted to do was allow a potential threat slide up from under them.

Especially if he had a chance of working things to their favor.

His eyes slid to Anna and he took a sip from his teacup once more.

Oh yes.

He was staying.

-::-

The twins in question had no idea they weren't being pursued for the moment, but it hardly mattered as they stumbled their way through the desert sun.

It had been nearly six days since they'd crash landed. Six days of wandering lost and without supplies as they tried to orient themselves. The stars they were so familiar with helped with getting them pointed in the right direction, but none of the landscape was familiar to them.

"What are the odds we would crash into an area we've never been before?" Sting grumbled as he kept his eyes peeled for water.

"Probably pretty good." Rogue sighed, "We've traveled all over the place, but it's not like we've seen everything."

Sting shot him a grumpy look as he collected a patch of particularly bright looking sunlight and bit into it, "Yeah, but six days of it? Where the hell were we for us to be this far out of our territory?"

"Over some mountains." Rogue replied, "I remember that. They had snow on them." He shook his head, "We'll find out way back eventually brother. We're going in the right direction at least. As long as we're careful we should be fine."

Sting grimaced as he ate, "We're not if we don't find water soon." He pointed out, "Dad and the dragons of old might've been able to survive without it, but we can't."

And while the moisture from their kills certainly helped, it wasn't nearly enough with as much exercise as they were doing. Especially for Rogue, who didn't have the benefit of thriving in direct sunlight. A fact that worried Sting tremendously despite his brother's assurances that he recovered just fine after dark.

He looked somewhat paler than normal, and Sting was unable to stop being concerned over his brother's condition. No matter what Rogue said, he remained totally unconvinced.

Still, with as much empty land that stretched out before them, Sting was getting concerned they wouldn't be able to survive for much longer out where they were.

Together they stumbled through the hard earth, sand crunching under their boots as their feet ached from their long walk.

Had they been fully human, even magical, they would have surely died by now. Even one of their other siblings would have struggled without a constant source of their element to sustain them, and for that they were extremely fortunate. But even with that help the strain was starting to show.

They shuffled through a canyon, clinging to the side for shade. Not that the sun especially bothered Sting, but it was hard enough on Rogue for him to push them away from the heat.

Eventually they came out onto a grassy plain and Sting nearly groaned in relief. Grass meant water, and water surely meant there had to be a source nearby. If they were lucky it would even be on the surface and not require digging. Either way he fully intended to stop for a while and let Rogue rest under one of the scrubby trees in the distance.

He glanced at his twin and grimaced at how pale he was, "C'mon brother." He grunted as Rogue stumbled a little, and slung his arm around his shoulder, "We've got a goal. Let's get to those trees so you can take a rest, and I'll see if I can find us some water."

Rogue sighed and nodded tiredly. He hadn't precisely been lying to his brother, but today had been particularly grueling. Some shade to sit under for a while sounded wonderful.

Together they struggled over to the trees and Rogue gratefully dropped to the ground. Sting flashed him a tired grin, "You stay there. I'll see if I can find us some water."

Rogue nodded, too tired to argue, and watched his brother leave with a sigh. He didn't want Sting to go, but until night fell and he could feed on the shadows around there wasn't much he could do.

It was a bit galling in a way, but there it was all the same.

He never even noticed his eyes slipping shut as he fell asleep under the tree.

Sting looked over his shoulder at his brother, pleased he was taking the opportunity to relax. In truth he wasn't feeling too great about the situation their family found themselves in. It seemed like history was repeating itself. They were once again hunted like Acnologia's family had been. Laxus and Erik were trapped on that prison ship, and Sting had no idea how they hoped to even find them again even if by some miracle they met up with his brothers and sister.

His dark thoughts were interrupted when the scent of water sprang to his attention, completely derailing the sullen path they were on.

"Water!" He croaked happily and sprang forward, hurrying after the scent.

Quickening his pace, Sting found himself in a taller patch of grass, pushing it aside until he stumbled into soft silt.

A river!

It bubbled happily right before him, and Sting could say with all honesty he had never been happier to see it.

Laughing a little hysterically he plunged forward and thrust his hands into the clean water. It was cool to the touch, and as he pulled a handful to his mouth he was quite certain he hadn't tasted anything so sweet in a long time.

He dove for another mouthful, and splashed some over his face before rocking back onto his heels. He wanted more, badly, but Rogue needed this just as much as he did. If not more.

So he reluctantly got up and headed back to the tree with a bounce in his step, "Brother!" He exclaimed and knelt to shake him awake, "Wake up! I found water!"

Rogue groaned and opened eyes that immediately had Sting frowning in concern. They were glassy and unfocused and his cheeks were flushed red. Had Rogue gotten heat sick? He swore softly as he touched his brother's face, it was definitely far warmer than he liked.

He reached down and pulled his brother over his shoulders with a quiet growl. There was no way he was going to lose his twin now. Not when they were so close!

Rogue groaned a little as he was manhandled, but Sting ignored it as he carried him back to the river. He carefully dropped Rogue into the darkest patch of shade he could find and looked around for something he could use to carry water to his brother.

"Oh!" A startled voice exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"

Sting jerked his head up to find himself staring at a surprised looking young woman with someone who could only be a celestial spirit from the way her magic felt. Between them they were carrying a number of containers, probably meant for the water.

"Celestial wizard..." He hissed, not at all pleased to see one of _her_ kind here while his brother was vulnerable.

The woman blinked at the man in faint confusion for the hostility, but edged forward without fear, "I am."

Her eyes fell to the flushed looking Rogue and she took a step towards him, almost flinching back at the vicious warning snarl that burst from Sting at the movement.

The woman froze at the protective gesture and stared at Sting, eyes wide.

"Sir, I'm beggin' no disrespect, but your friend looks like he has a touch of desert fever," She spoke to him, but took an insistent step forward.

"Miss, shall I?" Her spirit intoned in a flat voice, her hand raising through the air.

At the way Sting growled, the woman placed a gentle hand over her spirits wrist, "No Libra. It's okay."

She took another step towards Sting but placed a jug down on the ground by his feet. Removing the lid, she tipped some of the contents into the top and raised it to her lips.

She drained the contents and showed him the empty lid, setting it back on top of the jar.

"I promise, it's just water you can give him. You have my word as a celestial wizard, I just want to help," She said in a quiet, even voice.

Sting narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but took the jug. He sniffed the contents, but couldn't detect anything but water. Still wary, he carefully took a swing of it himself and waited. When nothing happened after several moments he turned and hurried over to his brother's side and carefully poured some of the water into the lid before holding it to Rogue's lips.

His anxiety increased when at first nothing happened, but then Rogue spluttered a bit under the small trickle and hazily began drinking.

"It's going to be alright brother." He muttered, and jumped when a slim hand reached out to feel Rogue's head.

"He's not going to be alright out here. He's burning up." The woman said grimly, ignoring the fierce glare he was giving her, and sat back a little, "Please, what happened to him?"

Sting glanced uneasily between Libra and her mistress. He didn't want to say anything, but she had given her word, and he knew what that meant. Just like he knew he didn't have the resources to properly care for Rogue until he regained his strength.

"We were lost in the desert for several days." He muttered at last, "Without food or water. This is the first source we've found."

"Goodness!" The woman gasped, and she frowned, "Well, you might have water now, but he's vulnerable to the sun. You need shelter." She glanced at Libra, who gave her a miniscule nod in return, and nodded, "Let me take you home. You can shelter there until your brother's better."

"Be careful miss," Libra said, "you're in the company of dragons. These are the children of Draco."

The woman gave Libra a confused look, clearly not understanding what that meant. But as Libra gave no more free information, the woman prioritized Rogue over asking questions.

"'Here there be dragons,' hm?" She smiled at Sting, "My name is Yukino, this is my friend Libra. She'll be able to help carry your brother."

The explanation wasn't needed as Sting knew quite well what many of the celestial spirits did from their father's stories. Still, Sting held still as the woman, Yukino, gestured towards Libra.

Soon, Rogue was as weightless as a feather, capable of being easily carried. Yukino took on the task herself, her smile polite and gentle.

"What may I call you sir?" Yukino asked him, prodding gently for a name.

For a moment he considered lying, but saw no real point to it.

"I'm Sting, this is Rogue," he said tiredly.

* * *

 _ **Special thanks to everyone who reviewed! We appreciate every single one of you. Alas, there weren't quite enough reviews for a preview this chapter, but we have a nice long chapter of Nalu coming up next, and a whole bunch of action after that! So please look forward to it, and I'll see you all Wednesday!**_


	16. Hop

_**Hey guys! Kytrin here with your Wednesday chapter! No major announcements, so enjoy your chapter! :)**_

 _ **Quick disclaimer: We don't own the song used in this chapter any more than we do Fairy Tail. Thank you.**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 16**

 **Hop**

 _A dance._

* * *

Lucy sighed a little as she settled back onto the log they'd found at their campsite and poked idly at their fire while Natsu tended to Happy. It wasn't the first time she'd been camping, but it had been a long day anyway.

She and Natsu had left early with the others and split away from them soon after. The day since then had been nothing but travel in a roundabout trail to Precht's manor. She couldn't blame Natsu for his caution in breaking up the trail as much as possible, but it had added a lot of time to their trip and she was a little saddlesore now.

At least once they'd found a good camping spot she'd been able to muster the energy to help out instead of just sitting there uselessly.

It had actually kind of surprised her how easily she and Natsu fell into a rhythm as they worked. She built the fire pit and he started it while she got some water. He unrolled the bedrolls and tended Happy while she took care of starting dinner. It was as if they'd been working in concert for years.

Which was slightly disconcerting considering their history.

"Smells good!" Natsu grinned as he walked back into the firelight, somehow looking even more attractive than usual with his sleeves rolled up and his shirt partially undone under his bandana.

She kind of wanted to know how he did it.

Instead she just smiled at him and reached over to give their dinner a nudge, "It's not anything fancy, but it should do."

In fact, it wasn't anything more some roasting meat from a couple of jackrabbits Natsu had caught to augment their other supplies. Still, she'd done her best with them, and as long as they didn't dry out would probably be fairly tasty. She hoped.

"I'd say you were a witch for the cookin' you do. It ain't easy getting a dragon's appetite under control," Natsu grinned and flopped down beside her.

He groaned as he leaned back, pulled his hat off and tossing it onto their packs. Running a hand through his disheveled hair, he breathed out in relief once it was gone.

"Don't you go telling me I'm growin' on you Salamander," Lucy teased him, an amused look glowing on her face.

"Darlin' I'd eat dinner with the devil himself if he cooked like you," Natsu shot back, his drawl rougher than usual as he relaxed next to the fire.

"I do believe you may have just paid me a compliment sir," Lucy laughed at the crooked grin that slid over his face, seeming somewhat embarrassed.

"Must be tired, had a long day of ridin' y'know," He teased back.

Lucy snorted a little in amusement, "Or maybe you just like me."

She checked their dinner and handed him a skewer once she was sure it was done. She took a bite and smiled. Definitely had turned out fairly well considering it was charbroiled over an open fire. She glanced up at the sky as she ate, taking comfort in the sight of the stars there.

"It's so beautiful." She sighed as her eyes picked out the visible constellations for her keys, "Have you ever been there?" She asked, "To the celestial realm?"

She knew she could never go. Even if she could survive there it would be a contract breech she could never recover from unless she was invited. And no spirit had ever done that. But for Natsu it may be different.

"No." He replied, a sadness in his voice that had her looking at him in concern, but his eyes weren't on her. They were on the heavens above.

"We all wanna go. We wanna see dad's world, but..."

Lucy watched as his eyes tracked north towards where Draco's constellation would be, and frowned as she tried to pick it out among the other stars. It wasn't a constellation she'd studied closely since there had never been a key associated with it. All she knew was that it was a northern one, and never set seasonally the way most others did.

"Huh," Lucy murmured, voice quiet in the night. She scooted forward a little, the crackling fire filling the void between them.

"That's strange," She whispered, her eyes trying to pick out the constellation but unable to see it. She huffed in frustration, feeling like she was missing something.

"Where's Draco's constellation?" She asked him. A sheepish smile on her face to show how embarrassed she was, "I must be losing my touch, I can't find him anywhere."

But when she looked at Natsu's face, his expression seemed strangely guarded. A muscle in his jaw flexed, his eyes wrenching down from the stars.

"Nah, if you're losin' your touch then so are all of us," Natsu grunted, "Draco hasn't been in those skies in over seven years."

Lucy, not understanding, shook her head, "Seven? But that's- that's not possible, where else would he be?"

Natsu pulled his eyes to her, his expression grim, mouth tight at the corners.

"Who knows?"

Lucy watched him contemplatively for a moment. She didn't know how a spirit could vanish, along with his constellation, but whatever it was it had to be serious. Perhaps even as serious as their current mess. And maybe she couldn't do anything about it directly, but she would at least try. For Draco's children's sake if for no other reason.

"Well whatever it is, it can't be good." She replied slowly, "Anything that could make a celestial spirit vanish, especially one as powerful as Draco, is cause for concern." She tilted her head slightly, "I'll have a chat with Grandpa Crux when this business with Hades is over. If anyone can give us a clue it's him."

Natsu stared at her for a long moment, "You will?" He asked, "But... why? What's it matter to you?"

"I'm a celestial wizard." Lucy reminded him with a small smile, "Things that affect the celestial realm matter to me. And besides, he's your dad. Celestial wizard or not, what kind of person would I be if I didn't try to help in a case like this?"

Losing one parent was bad enough. As much of a pain as Natsu tended to be, she wouldn't wish losing both of them on him. That would just be cruel.

Natsu continued to stare at her for several moments before his hand squeezed hers gently in silent thanks, and a small smile curled his lips.

"You really are weird." He drawled with something that could almost be called affection, "Always tryin' to help. Even when you don't have to."

He reached under his shirt and pulled out a coin dangling on a cord, "D'you remember this?" He asked softly, "When you were a kid you gave it to a little thieving brat tryin' ta get his hands on some fireballs." He chuckled, "After you gave him a lecture on not stealin'." He eyed her in amusement, "Not that he paid any mind."

Lucy blinked at the coin dangling by a worn leather cord. She reached out, slowly touching her fingers against the surface. It was gold, shimmering and pretty against her skin. It looked like it had been polished over the years, not once spent.

It was a faint tickle in the back of her brain. A memory she had tucked away and forgotten as it hadn't been worth mentioning.

A little boy, scruffy and mad, trying to swipe a fireball in a candy shop. He nearly made away with it too until Lucy pointed at him and told the owner.

She hadn't thought it was right he would take something that didn't belong to him, not without paying, but had also been very afraid when she thought the owner was going to take the boy's hand for trying to steal a small candy.

Instead he had gotten dumped in a rain barrel.

She only faintly remembered spending some of her allowance on a bag of candy, and taking it and the remainder of her money with her to give to him.

Of course at the time, she hadn't known how much money a couple of gold coins were worth, or what it could mean to a homeless boy living on the streets with his siblings.

"That was so... long ago," Lucy breathed, her eyes widening as they flashed over to Natsu, "-you're telling me that little boy was you all along?"

"Surprise princess." Natsu purred with a half smirk, "Course, it took me a while to figure out it really _was_ you. You look a lot different now from when you were a hatchling." He shrugged, "An' even then I had doubts until just now. But what are the odds there would be _two_ Lucys with blond hair and celestial keys?"

Lucy felt a surge of guilt. Her gesture had clearly meant a very great deal to Natsu but she'd forgotten all about it until now. He hadn't even sparked a faint memory until now. Though, she supposed, she shouldn't be too hard on herself. She'd been very young at the time, and hadn't really understood that something small from her could mean a very great deal to someone else. It was one of the hazards of wealth. It tended to skew your perceptions.

Natsu gently took his coin back and tucked it back under his shirt, "It's brought me luck you know." He told her quietly, "Your coin. I kept it out of the pile you gave me. The only one left."

"Did it help?" Lucy asked just as quietly, "The money I mean."

Natsu grinned at her as if he understood instantly where her thoughts had traveled, "Yeah. It helped. Kept us fed an' clothed for months. Dad was real grateful to ya when I told him. Not that he knew who you were."

"I wish I'd understood enough back then to do more..." Lucy sighed wistfully, but Natsu shook his head.

"It's been better this way." He replied, "Life ain't easy for us, but we never coulda blended in with humans like we woulda had to if you'd tried to help us more." He shrugged, "Back then we had dad, an' each other, an' you gave me enough to get us a leg up. That was all we needed."

Lucy smiled at that, "Maybe, but if I'd been able to help maybe you wouldn't have started robbing trains." She shot him a mock glare, "You ever think of that Mr. Thief?"

Natsu smirked at her, "That's a nice enough thought 'n all Miss Lucy, but I doubt that would've worked anyway. I would've just gone to stealin' somethin' else anyway."

"We're greedy hoarders, us dragons," He laughed.

"Would be nice though," He looked up at the stars, "We like being able to come 'n go as we please, but sometimes I think it'd be nice if we could just..."

He trailed off, eyes roaming the stars.

Lucy stayed quiet, not prompting him to say anything but knowing there was something more he wanted. She could relate to the feeling of searching for something just out of reach. Something they believed was unattainable.

"Isn't it hard?" Lucy asked him instead, her voice quiet, as if afraid to disturb the oddly sincere turn their conversation had taken.

Natsu looked at her silently for her to elaborate, and Lucy huffed a bit.

"I mean... isn't it difficult for you to always look over your shoulder? Always hop from train to train without a place to curl up at the end of the day and rest?" Lucy asked.

A sound escaped from Natsu's chest, his head cocking towards her.

"I'd say it's just as hard for you to do what you're about to do for us against Hades," Natsu deflected, "You could be sabotaging your father's business."

Lucy looked away, biting her lip to hide her nerves from his intense stare.

"It's the right thing to do," She replied, as if that was enough answer.

"Right don't always mean easy," Natsu grunted.

"No it doesn't." Lucy agreed, and glanced at him for a moment, "But... you know..." She hesitated and shook her head, "Never mind."

Curious now, Natsu looked over at her, "What?"

Lucy just shook her head and smiled at him, "It's nothing. Really. Just a passing thought."

Of course, it wasn't. Not really. But she didn't want to pressure him. It would only make him feel like he was backed into a corner, and she didn't want that. If he wanted to change it had to be because he truly wanted the change, and no other reason.

He eyed her for a long moment, obviously trying to figure out what 'nothing' was, and just as obviously failing as he shrugged and settled back in his seat. Her lips curled a little in bemusement as they fell into a companionable silence.

It was strangely relaxing to just be sitting with him like this. Certainly there were far worse ways to spend an evening.

The seconds ticked by, accompanied by the sounds of Natsu gnawing on his rabbit. She cast the occasional glance at him where he chewed, his eyes occasionally sliding up to the sky seemingly out of habit.

"It's not hard though? Going behind your pa's back like that?" Natsu asked suddenly. His lips twisted, wistful up at the sky.

"I can't say I'd ever been able to do anything like this for people outside of the nest before," Natsu continued.

"Well your father is a bit harder to hide things from I'd wager," Lucy smiled, pointing at the sky.

She faltered and tucked her knees up to her chest. Her eyes scattered to him, "I won't lie though. You're right. I'm terrified to do this, Hades isn't the only one involved in this, and if we pull one string the whole thing could unravel."

"It could ruin my papa's name, he could lose everything," Lucy bit her bottom lip as she considered the possibility she had been too afraid to voice.

"What if he's part of it Natsu?" Lucy whispered her doubts.

Natsu studied her for a long moment, and grinned, "Nah. Your pa ain't part of this."

Lucy looked up at him, "How do you know?" She asked, almost desperately. She didn't want to think that about her father, but the horrible thought wouldn't stop eating at her.

Natsu flashed her a brilliant smile, one without any sarcasm or condescension in it, "It's obvious ain't it?" He asked, "I mean think about it. If your pa was in on this he woulda known he was dealing with wizards right? D'you really think he would've let you join a guild, the nearest guild to their operation, if that was the case?"

Lucy frowned a little, "I suppose not. But you have to admit the odds of me finding any of this out were extremely low."

Natsu shrugged, "Maybe. But a man involved in somethin' shady like that ain't the type to let his only daughter run around free no matter how stubborn she is. There's a better chance he woulda locked you up an' married you off to some lord than let that happen."

Lucy bit her lip, tears stinging at her eyes, "If that's the case, then he's innocent. And if so... I could be bringing everything down."

Natsu stared at her as she struggled not to cry, and felt his heart twist. She was really torn up about this. And she hadn't said a word to anyone. What was worse was she was right. Even if everything went perfectly there was no guarantee that her pa's reputation would survive the aftermath. There was no telling how folks would take his involvement.

It was a rock and a hard place for sure. Which meant her decision had to be especially tough. And there was nothing he could do to make it easier for her.

He wolfed down the rest of his dinner and climbed to his feet. He couldn't make her decision, or the fallout, easier for her, but maybe he could make her feel a little better. He held out his hand to her confused face and smiled.

"Dance with me?"

"Dance?" Lucy asked, a smile pulling reflexively at her face, along with some exasperation. Even though it was clear she thought Natsu had lost a part of his brain, her hand rose to slide into his.

His palm was rough, warm and familiar, just as it was the day they went dancing together at Hades party.

His fingers curled around hers, tugging back to pull Lucy to her feet. Natsu smiled at her wider, his body shifting to rest his free hand at her lower back.

"But we have no music," Lucy said around a sniffle, "We can't dance without music."

Natsu pulled her closer, the warmth of his embrace chasing away the chill from the night. His presence soothed the hurt in her heart too, his silly attempt to cheer her up touched Lucy.

"No music?" He raised an eyebrow at her, beginning to move into slow steps that she stumbled after, "Listen around you Lucy. The desert makes its own music if you're willin' to hear it."

He pulled her closer, turning his hand in hers. Lucy's head pressed light into his shoulder.

His chest vibrated with a soft tune. Whatever song Natsu heard, he began to hum. Quiet at first, he lifted his volume as she relaxed against him.

Lucy smiled as they moved. The tune sounded familiar, though she couldn't quite place it at the moment. Either way it didn't matter right now. This was nice, and somehow exactly what she needed.

It didn't matter that it was a little bit ridiculous, or that they sometimes stumbled over a pebble. What mattered was that he'd cared enough to make the effort and the bright grin that kept peeking out as he hummed and whistled softly made her heart flutter.

She laughed a little at the feeling, a kind of excited giddiness washing through her, and she couldn't resist joining in. She recognized the tune now, and the thought of the lyrics made her blush a little, but she pushed back any embarrassment in favor of enjoying the moment as she gradually sped up the tempo, to Natsu's obvious delight, until they were laughing and dancing happily around the fire without any other thought or worry in their heads.

By the time they came to a stop they were both sporting enormous grins, and Natsu had her pressed tightly against his chest. Though she couldn't say she minded. He had a strong, and warm, embrace that belied his snarky tongue. It felt good, and at the moment Lucy couldn't feel anything but affection for him.

He smiled down at her, the warm yellow of their campfire and the soft silver of the starlight above making him seem to sparkle with his celestial heritage. It was otherworldly and beautiful, and Lucy couldn't resist reaching out to lay her hand against his cheek.

The action seemed to surprise him for a moment as he lifted one hand to cover hers, but the surprise quickly melted away into something else as he pressed his cheek against her hand in an affectionate nuzzle.

She felt her breath hitch in her chest, and was certain he'd heard it when his eyes met hers filled with something she still couldn't identify, but instinctively understood.

Her thumb stroked a soft path along the high curve of his cheek, neither daring to move.

Lucy took a step forward, her eyes flashing down to his mouth, instinctively wondering how it would feel roaming against hers.

Her lips trembled with the desire to find out, suddenly overcome with the curiosity to find out. They had already been pressed together, but her additional step seemed to tighten the space around them.

His thumb hot against her back, slid a lazy circle against her spine.

She felt magnetized, almost pulled to Natsu. Her chin lifting towards him, her curiosity insatiable.

At least that had been the plan, until a log in their fire let out an earsplitting crack that had the two jerking apart.

Natsu shook his head, seemingly dazed.

Lucy blushed brightly as her senses came flooding back. What had she been thinking? Natsu wasn't interested in kissing her! And she certainly wasn't interested in kissing him!

Except, no sooner had she thought that then the memory of what had almost happened replayed before her eyes again, and she felt tingles wash down her spine to take up residence in her belly.

She _had_ wanted to kiss him. Badly.

And had the fire not popped she was sure it would've happened. What was more, she was pretty sure it would've gone far beyond a simple peck on the lips, and she couldn't help wonder what that would be like. Her eyes met his, and a shared moment of mingled apology and sheepishness seemed to pass between them before he coughed a little.

"So, are ya feelin' better now?" He asked casually, but Lucy could detect a roughness to his voice that hadn't been there before.

She smiled a little at him, wondering if that was a pink tinge to his cheeks or just the fire playing with the lighting, "Yeah, I am. Thanks."

She moved to sit back down, and couldn't help feeling a small surge of pleasure when he rejoined her but closer than before, "Where did you learn that tune? It's very old."

Natsu smiled a little, "Heard ma and pa singin' it when I was little." He replied, "I don't remember the words now, but I remember the song. And the dance."

Lucy twitched her fingers together, her thoughts turning to the image of a young Natsu curled up with his siblings, eyes heavy with sleep as he watched his parents dancing together.

It filled Lucy's heart with warmth, a sweet memory he had inadvertently shared.

It was a song she heard her mother sing before, softly whispered as a present from the stars. The song was as old as the sky itself, although she doubted Natsu knew it's story.

"I'll swim and sail on savage seas, with ne'er a fear of drowning," Lucy sang softly, her voice barely a whisper above the crackling fire, "And gladly ride the waves of life if you would marry me."

Natsu went very still at the first lyrics that left her mouth, his breath practically stopping in his chest. He stared at her with an intensity that almost made her stutter.

For a moment she thought she may have overstepped her boundary, but by the hungry, almost desperate look in his eyes...

...she realized she was giving something back to him.

Mustering her courage, she continued, lifting her voice a little.

"No scorching sun, nor freezing cold will stop me on my journey," She breathed, "if you would promise me your heart and love me for eternity."

She faltered for a moment, searching for the words which were soft in her own mind.

"Go on?" Natsu asked, the quiet way he asked, bringing the lyrics back to her.

Lucy's cheeks flushed, feeling silly singing the song which was meant to be a duet by herself.

"My dearest one, my darling dear your mighty words astound me," Lucy swallowed, feeling herself locked firmly in his gaze, "But I've no need of mighty deeds when I feel your arms around me-"

She was startled when he suddenly broke in, his voice rougher than hers as the words returned to him.

"But I would bring you rings of gold, I'd even sing you poetry," A glowing smile broke over his face, the words tinged with laughter that chased away Lucy's nervousness, "And I would keep you from all harm if you would stay beside me!"

The words flowed between them, their voices filling the empty space between them. They sang through giggles and laughter, growing louder and faster in their tempo until they were forced to break off to catch their breath.

"Where did you learn this song?" Natsu laughed without breath.

Lucy grinned back at him, "My mother." She replied with a laugh, "She used to sing it to me instead of the usual lullabies. She said it was an ancient song. One from the stars themselves."

She glanced up at the stars spangled overhead, "She always liked that one the best. She said it reminded her of what was really important in love." She looked back at him, "Not wealth or fancy words, but the other person there with you. Because nothing can replace the treasure that is the one you love."

"Treasure huh?" Natsu mused with a smile as his own gaze wandered skyward, "I guess I can understand that. Dragons love treasure. All kinds of treasure. Even the stuff that's not valuable to others." He looked at her, "It's valuable to us, and that's the important part. I gotta admit though... sounds strange for someone not t' want gold."

Lucy giggled a little, "I imagine it would to you." She agreed, "But I agree with my mom. I'd much rather have my special someone by my side having adventures with me instead of being away all the time and getting me expensive things."

Natsu nodded. He could understand that. Though he supposed there wasn't any reason a person couldn't do what Lucy said _and_ shower them with pretty things. It was what he suspected he would do.

He looked back up at the stars with a small smile, for the first time in seven years not minding that Draco was nowhere to be seen. Because he had a little piece of his parents back. A precious memory that he could keep close to his heart. His heart swelled with warmth, and he silently renewed his vow that he would find his dad and bring him back.

"Thanks Lucy." He murmured, not noticing her startled look at the warmth in his voice.

She hesitated for a moment, dropping her hand over his scarred knuckles. Her fingers brushed over his skin, gentle in their touch. He rolled back against the bed roll they had been lying against.

Slowly, his hand turned in her grasp, opening him his palm to hers. The stretch of her fingers were enveloped by his own, and they both turned their attention to their hands.

"You're welcome."

' _For the Dancing and the Dreaming' Cont._

 _\- I have no use for rings of gold_

 _I care not for your poetry_

 _I only want your hand to hold_

 _I only want you near me_

 _(Together)_

 _To love to kiss to sweetly hold_

 _For the dancing and the dreaming_

 _through all life's sorrows_

 _And delights_

 _I'll keep your laugh inside me_

 _I'll swim and sail on savage seas_

 _With ne'er a fear of drowning_

 _I'll gladly ride the waves so white_

 _And you will marry me!_

* * *

 _ **Alas no preview again this time. You guys came really close, but our cut off is still 30 reviews, and we didn't quite make that. I want to give everyone who DID leave us a review some very special thanks. You guys are amazing, and we love to you to pieces! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and we'll see you on Sunday! :)**_


	17. Diggings

_**Yo everyone! Mslead here to bring you your Sunday update! For those who were wondering! The song from the last chapter was from How to Train your Dragon 2, For the Dancing and the Dreaming. Very romantic. Very sweet.**_

 _ **And to those who were wondering where I live in relation to Kytrin? I love on the east coast as well. Sunday updates are usually posted at the end of the day because we're usually writing during the daylight hours. Also I lose track of time very easily. I have the attention span of a gnat.**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 17**

 _ **Diggings**_

 _One's home, lodgings, or community. Also commonly referred to prospector's mining claims_

* * *

Yukino woke up the next morning to the sounds of angry shouting. She jumped awake, hands flying to her keys as she stumbled out of her bed without grace.

Groggy but alarmed, she rushed out to the main room where she had left her desert-sick guests. She froze at the doorframe, spotting both men sitting upright against her spare bedding, the dark haired one still unfocused, but the blond alert and angry.

He was glaring at the front door, the source of his ire.

Her sister.

"Sorano!" Yukino greeted, somewhat confused by the hostility being shown by all parties but still happy to see her sister. She had been gone for several years, living a life outside of the law and bringing a great many people pain. But now she was using her considerable skills to help others.

There was a sheriff in a town not too far away whom seemed willing to give her a chance as a deputy. An amazing opportunity for a woman, especially one with such a criminal past. Atoning was a job which never quit though, and Yukino was willing to travel with her sister wherever that meant.

So happy, she directed a smile to her sister, "You're back from your trip, how was the trek?"

Sorano didn't move, her glare on the two men.

"Yukino, why are they here?"

Yukino glanced between the two glaring men and her sister, "I invited them here." She replied quietly, "They're suffering from desert sickness."

"Yukino!" Sorano exclaimed furiously, "They're dangerous outlaws! They're the ones who stole my keys!"

"We didn't steal 'em!" Sting hissed angrily, "We freed 'em after you lost to us!"

"You were abusing your spirits." Rogue growled softly from where he was half sitting up on a couch, "You deserved to be relieved of your keys."

"That's not the point!" Sorano hissed as she grabbed her sister's shoulders and pulled her safely behind her, "I want to know what you've done to my sister! Were you planning to rob her too? To deprive her of her magic?" She pulled out a coin, "Well I won't let you do that!"

"Sister please!" Yukino exclaimed in alarm as she moved between her sister and the two dragons, "They haven't done anything to me! They've been perfect gentlemen, and they know I'm a celestial wizard already. Libra was helping me gather water when I found them."

"That doesn't mean they won't try somethin'!" Sorano snarled, "You said yourself they were sick!"

Sting snorted and crossed his arms, "We're not gonna go after Miss Yukino's keys." He growled sulkily, "She's done us a good turn an' we ain't big enough bastards t' harm an lady that's helped us when she ain't done nothing to deserve it."

And Yukino didn't deserve it. It had become very clear in the short time they'd been around her that Yukino treated her spirits with kindness. As friends even. And she relied on them to help her survive and protect her out here. They might be cruel sometimes, but he and Rogue had already agreed to leave Yukino alone. Leaving the woman high and dry was a kind of low that would have Draco skin them alive when they found him.

Heck it would probably have their brothers skin them alive regardless.

"We're not likely to do her harm," Rogue murmured, pushing himself forward with narrowed eyes, "I can't say the same for what you've done."

Sorano's fist tightened around the coin in her palm, her glare fierce on Rogue.

Yukino refused to budge between them, her hands lifted between both sides.

"That's enough, all of you!" Yukino snapped, whipping her gaze around to the sullen twins, "I don't know the details of your encounter, and ya can save the explanation for a time it matters."

"My sister did a lot of bad things in her time as a bandit, but she's worked hard to turn her life around after she lost her keys an' I won't have you disrespectin' the choices she made since then!" She snapped at the men.

Sting and Rogue both subsided a little at that, more taken aback that the quiet Yukino actually _could_ snap at them than out of real repentance. But they would abide by her wishes for now. Neither one of them was in any real condition to fight a protracted battle with either sister, let alone both.

"Sorry." Sting mumbled with enough sincerity that Yukino nodded and turned to her sister.

"Not a word." Sorano huffed, her arms crossing as the coin vanished, "I know what keepin' your word means an' I'll abide by it. For now. But either one of them step outta the bounds of decent hospitality and I'll introduce 'em to my angels. Healed or not. Got that?"

Yukino smiled and nodded as she pulled her sister into a hug, "Thank you sister."

"Yeah, yeah." Sorano pouted, "C'mon. Jellal's let me off for a while t' visit so I can stay for a while." She eyed Sting and Rogue distrustfully as she moved further into the house, but readily let her sister guide her to the table.

"How is Jellal?" Yukino asked happily as she tidied herself up a little and started work on breakfast for everyone, "Is he still pining?"

Sorano snorted inelegantly, but an amused smirk curled around her lips, "That's one way of puttin' it." She drawled, "He's still mad in love with that Fairy Tail girl, Titania, but he's convinced himself he's unworthy or some such." She rolled her eyes, "Honestly, if he keeps this up Midnight an' I might take drastic action."

"What kind of action?" Yukino asked curiously, "Nothing _too_ severe I hope?"

Sorano's smirk widened, "Not unless you consider lockin' 'em in a closet as severe?"

Yukino gave her sister a scandalized look which was accompanied by a gasp that had Sorano snickering to herself.

"Now that's hardly proper," Yukino mumbled, her cheeks red while her sister leaned over the table, spinning one of Yukino's cooking utensils on its point.

"Well just ask your fellas here, I'm hardly a proper sort of lady," Sorano smirked at them, "Not at all like my cute lil' sister here."

Yukino let out a sigh of exasperation as she worked on the meal.

Sting shifted his weight, watching the sisters with keen eyes. He tilted his head, a memory tickling at his mind.

"Hey Rogue," He asked his brother, Sorano's words catching his attention "Ain't Fairy Tail the guild Heartfilia was from?"

Rogue nodded, his eyes also tracking the sisters as he leaned towards Sting. His voice was very low, afraid of being overheard by them.

"I'd say," Rogue said, voice barely audible even to dragon ears so Sting had to strain to catch his words, "Ya reckon Sorano here is a deputy of Magnolia?

"Possible." Sting muttered back just as quietly, "If so, we're closer 'n we thought."

Closer, and potentially more in trouble. If the deputy's boss was sweet on one of Heartfilia's guildmates then it was real likely they wouldn't get a whole lot of sympathy out of the Sheriff if they were caught. Most of the upstanding types didn't have a lot on offer. They tended to be more offended that outlaws and bandits existed at all.

Of course, if he'd offered the deputy position to someone like Sorano then there was a chance the Sheriff was less likely to have his head shoved up his ass about the grayer sides of life.

Not that it would make any difference to them in the short run. But it was something to keep in mind for the future.

His ear twitched a little as the sound of laughter interrupted their private little aside, and he managed a little smile as heavenly scents reached his nose.

He had to admit that if nothing else, Yukino wasn't bad for a human. Sure, she didn't know what they were, not really, but she was nice and she kept her word. Admittedly, all celestial wizards had to, but she wasn't stingy about what she promised. If anything she'd gone above and beyond giving them shelter to recover in.

He appreciated that. Especially considering the urgency of the situation.

"So what were you two doing all the way out here anyway?" Sorano asked, a little tart, as Yukino finished filling her in on her side of the story, "I mean, don't you normally roam in a much larger pack robbing trains and such?"

Sting's eyes narrowed a little at her, "That ain't any of _your_ business."

Sting didn't expect any amusement on Sorano's face over his sharp response, but it certainly took him by surprise when Rogue cleared his throat.

"Our family was hunted down and captured by a group of mages who follow a man named Zeref," Rogue came forward with the explanation, ignoring the way his twin whipped his head around to stare at him in shock.

Yukino and Sorano stilled, their heads tilting towards one another.

"Sting and I were able to escape, but only because our two older brothers stayed behind to act as a distraction," Rogue said quietly, "We don't know why they need us, but they had us in cages aboard a flying ship and we only managed to escape through life vessels."

Sting, somewhat reluctant in his explanation, gave his brother an annoyed glare, "...we crash landed and hiked it into the desert. We were afraid if we headed towards the town, whoever had captured us would hunt us there."

He carefully made sure not to mention Acnologia and his involvement. Humans wouldn't understand the dragon's relevance anyway.

"You're certain it was Zeref?" Yukino demanded, an intensity in her voice that had Rogue grabbing Sting's arm to keep him from growling back.

"Yes." He replied, "As much as we can be at least. We saw a man claiming to be Zeref, and his followers all referred to him that way, but we have no way of knowing if what he claimed was the truth or not."

Sorano shoved harshly away from the table and stormed over to a window, "Short for a man?" She asked, "Black hair, black and white clothes? Benign smile, as if he can't understand why you could possibly be suffering? Or a crazy look in his eyes that says he doesn't care?"

Sting and Rogue glanced at each other for a long moment.

"Yes." Rogue replied quietly, "It was a look that sent chills down your spine."

Sorano's fists clenched tightly, "That was him alright." She growled darkly, "Bastard."

Yukino glanced between the brothers and her sister for several moments before it was clear Sorano wouldn't say any more. She sighed a little as she set down the food.

"My sister was taken by Zeref fanatics when we were children." She murmured into the strained silence, "They were attacking a lot of the smaller settlements in those days to round up slaves. Sorano helped me hide, but got caught herself along with a bunch of other children. I was the only survivor."

She gestured at the house, "That's why I live out here. Libra and the others were my friends by then, so I ran from everything. I didn't know what else to do. They helped me build this place and survive here where no one could find me."

"And... your sister?" Rogue asked carefully.

"I was their slave." Sorano responded before turning around to pin both dragons with a fierce look, "They used me, and all the other children and slaves, as workers to build a tower for Zeref. That was my life for years until Erza and Jellal started a rebellion."

"We all went different ways, but some of us weren't exactly the forgiving sort after what happened," Sorano muttered. By the bitter twist of her lips, it was clear she was not wholly over what had been done to her as a child.

"You escaped from Zeref, so few people ever do," Yukino murmured, her eyes cast down.

Sting eyed Yukino, somewhat surprised to see genuine sympathy on her face.

She didn't have to say they had paid a cost for that escape. It was tense in the air around them.

Sorano huffed into the silence, clearly displeased as it began to stretch between them all with startling thickness. She carried over two plates of food to the dragons and dropped them on their laps.

"Seems like we've got a little bit in common after all," she lifted her nose at them, "Jellal should know, especially if Zeref is knocking on the door again."

Sting glanced at his brother, not entirely sure how to respond to that, "We need to find the rest of our family and warn 'em."

"That Zeref is looking for you?" Sorano mused, "Yes I can see why that would be something they need to know."

"It's not just that." Rogue replied after a moment as they dug into their meals hungrily, "Zeref's not workin' alone."

"Rogue!" Sting hissed indignantly, and Rogue shot his brother an exasperated look.

"They need to know." He replied testily, "Just 'cause they don't remember him doesn't mean he ain't a threat. And we know he is!"

"But that's our business! Not theirs!"

Rogue sighed a little, "Brother be reasonable. If they're working together then the odds of us having to deal with both at the same time are pretty high. Even if they can't do anything but be aware at least they'll know there's another threat out there."

"What threat?" Sorano asked in a tone that hinted there would be extreme pain if they didn't.

"Zeref's working with Acnologia." Rogue replied plainly, "He's a half dragon and both extremely powerful and ruthless. Most have forgotten him since he was put into a magic sleep hundreds of years ago, but he's awake again." He met her eyes firmly, "If you were to face him... you'd die. Even if you could match him in battle you'd never land a killing shot on him before he tore ya to shreds."

"A... half dragon?" Yukino breathed, suddenly recalling Libra's words, "How is that possible? Dragons died out millennia ago."

Rogue smiled a little at her, "That's a rather long story Miss Yukino." He replied, "And it's one we prefer not to tell until we know a person considerably better. Please understand."

"You done feelin' so chatty?" Sting grumbled, not looking angry, but still somewhat on the sulky side.

"Yes, I believe so," Rogue smirked at his brother, who made a low growling noise in the back of his throat and shook his head.

He pushed himself back against the couch, his gaze flashing back towards the window.

"Well, you can keep your head down here for now while you recover and hopefully whoever is huntin' you two will pass ya by," Yukino said kindly, "there's no rush now, so focus on healin' up so we can think of what we can do to get you and your family back together again."

Sting frowned in confusion and opened his mouth, the protest against her help on the top of his tongue.

"I went a very long time without ever seein' my sister. The last thing I want is for anyone to go through the same fate," Yukino said firmly.

Sting stared at her for several long moments, hardly able to believe what he was hearing. She wanted to help? Because of what had happened to her and her sister? It hardly seemed real.

It was unbelievable enough that she was willing to shelter them until the hunters had passed and the heat was off a little, but to actually _help_ them unite with their family? That was mind blowing.

"Thank you Miss Yukino." Rogue replied for both of them when it was clear Sting was too surprised to respond, "We really appreciate your help with this."

Sorano huffed a little as she got up, "Well, I'd best contact Jellal." She drawled, and headed towards her pack, "He's not gonna like this. At all."

* * *

 _ **Apologies for the shorter chapter this time! Just keep in mind that the next chapter is going to be filled with Nalu and much longer! But here's a longer sneak-peak for you guys since you ROCKED IT OUT with your reviews! Enjoy your preview!**_

* * *

 _"Natsu?" she called again, hesitant when she got no reply. Edging forward, her hand groped along the rocky area she stowed her clothes and keys._

 _Frowning, she reached further, unable to reach them. Twisting around to look better, her breath caught in her chest as she realized well and true that her clothes were in fact gone._

 _Cheeks burning and anger flaring in her blood, she grit her teeth together and and took a deep breath, "NATSU YOU DAMN THIEF, GET BACK HERE!"_

 _Her scream was well and loud, no doubt heard from one end of the desert to the east coast. For a moment Lucy took pride in the force of her scream, as it no doubt would have scared the blue devil himself._

 _At least she would have, if not for an unfamiliar voice swearing in the brush nearby._

 _"Shit! She's not alone!"_

 _Lucy gasped as the owner of the voice fled, shock warring through her as it became clear she wasn't alone with her companion in the oasis. The shock hadn't quite worn off by the time she heard Natsu crashing through the Oasis, boots slamming into the hard earth._

 _His head whipped around, eyes wild and nose twitching, startling Lucy half out of her wits by his sudden and loud appearance._

 _Dropping his eyes to her, not seeming to care about modesty he approached the edge of the water with his gun drawn. Fire licked in its barrel, and for a moment she wondered why he didn't just use his strange, active magic but realized it was probably out of caution._


	18. Longrider

**Yoooo! Kytrin is at work, so today you get Mslead for your Wednesday update! Hope everyone had a safe Halloween! Just in case you missed it, we posted a fic in the spirit of the holiday, it's called Samhain. It's going to be 12 chapters long with an epilogue, so you'll get those updates in addition to Wild Aces! Hope you like the new chapter!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 18**

 ** _Longrider_**

 _An outlaw, someone who usually had to stay in the saddle for an extended period of time while on the run from a crime._

* * *

Lucy groaned a little as they came to a halt near a small watering hole. They'd been taking their time about getting to Precht's manor, in part to give themselves time to plan, but also to give the other teams a chance to get into position as well. It was fortunate they were able to keep in touch via the lacrima or this never would've worked.

"Sore Miss Lucy?" Natsu smirked as he also slid out of the saddle.

Lucy shot him a glare, "Well unlike _some_ people I'm not used to riding around all day every day, so yeah."

Natsu grinned at her, "Then I guess you won't mind relaxin' here while I go huntin'?"

"Not in the slightest." Lucy assured him, eyeing the small oasis they'd stopped by. There was a set of rocks dividing it. Maybe she could snag a bath in one section without disturbing the other?

He let out a snort of laughter at her groaning, his eyes dropping down to where she had her hands pressing against her abused rear.

"I smell some good game," Natsu looped up Happy under some shade so he was able to lay down in peace, "Ya sure ya don't want to come princess? Could be gone for a spell, you could miss me."

Lucy put the back of her hand against her forehead and dipped herself back in a dramatic sigh.

"Oh deary me, time alone without mister Dragneel? Whatever shall I do?" She clasped her hands together and batted her eyelashes at him, "Maybe I'll take the time to work on my needlepoint or simply just pine away."

She cocked her hip at him, a sly smirk on her face, and challenge in her expression.

Natsu let out a huffy growl and stepped towards the woman. His eyes flickered down across her for a moment, taking in her steady stance and confident smile. His heart stuttered, finding the display somewhat exciting. Lucy was growing in her confidence of the West the longer she was out there and it was a good look on her. He certainly approved.

"Alright princess, I get it. You go ahead and be lazy while I go do the work," Natsu smirked at her, biting back a laugh when Lucy gave him an unrepentant wave as if to say 'best of luck to you!'.

He shook his head a little and headed back. He didn't really mind her taking a break while he hunted. She'd earned it. And anyway he knew she would start setting up camp once she'd rested a little. She always did.

Lucy, meanwhile, watched him go with acute relief. That water was looking more inviting by the moment and she was itching to get clean. How Natsu stood it she had no idea.

She rummaged around in her pack and quickly pulled out some soap before heading over to the smaller of the two spots. Upon closer inspection it appeared that the two were actually completely separate so she wouldn't contaminate the drinking water if she bathed. Good.

She quickly stripped out of her clothes and waded in, a pleasured sigh escaping her as the water lapped at her skin. Oh now this was heaven! She was sure of it. She smiled happily as she started scrubbing down.

She never even noticed the faint crunch of boots as she hummed to herself.

Taking a moment to just enjoy the feel of the water cleaning off the day's travel and dust, Lucy sighed and dipped her head under the waterfor a moment before lifting it back out with a hum of happiness as she pushed wet hair from her eyes. It was really saying something to the credit of the nicely shaded oasis that she completely relaxed.

She leaned back in the water, eyes closing as she simply enjoyed herself; floating on the water, breathing into the warm air long after the soap was finished washing from her skin. She was utterly content to stay there as long as possible and would have if she not heard a footfall behind her.

Immediately she jerked upright, her arms coming down to guard her chest, "Natsu?"

She squinted out past the rocks sheltering the watering hole, pushing slowly towards the bank.

"Natsu?" she called again, hesitant when she got no reply. Edging forward, her hand groped along the rocky area where she'd stowed her clothes and keys.

Frowning, she reached further, unable to reach them. Twisting around to look better, her breath caught in her chest as she realized well and true that her clothes were in fact _gone._

Cheeks burning and anger flaring in her blood, she grit her teeth together and and took a deep breath, " _ **NATSU YOU DAMN THIEF, GET BACK HERE!"**_

Her scream was well and truly loud, no doubt heard from one end of the desert to the east coast. For a moment Lucy took pride in the force of her scream, as it no doubt would have scared the blue devil himself.

At least she would have, if not for an unfamiliar voice swearing in the brush nearby.

"Shit! She's not alone!"

Lucy gasped as the owner of the voice fled, shock warring through her as it became clear she wasn't alone with her companion in the oasis. The shock hadn't quite worn off by the time she heard Natsu crashing through the oasis, boots slamming into the hard earth.

His head whipped around, eyes wild and nose twitching, startling Lucy half out of her wits by his sudden and loud appearance. Dropping his eyes to her, not seeming to care about modesty he approached the edge of the water with his gun drawn. Fire licked in its barrel, and for a moment she wondered why he didn't just use his strange, active magic but realized it was probably out of caution.

"You okay Miss Lucy?" He asked, voice gruff as his eyes turned towards the quiet brush.

Lucy bit her tongue, suppressing a few scandalized noises over how frightening a situation she had been in without realizing, coupled with Natsu just staring at her.

"No I'm not! Natsu they took my clothes!" Lucy ducked further into the water to hide herself a little more.

"So? You got more dontcha?" Natsu asked, lowering his colt as he strained his hearing towards the brush. It was clear whoever was there was long gone, "Damn this was close though Lucy."

Now on the verge of tears, she slapped the water for his attention.

"It's not the clothes Natsu!" She cried out in frustration, "My keys were on my belt loop!"

At once his head snapped towards her, his eyes wide and teeth snapping together. There was a flicker of anger in the back of his eyes, his brain putting a few pieces of information together as he realized the depth of their issue.

" _What!"_

"Exactly!" Lucy exclaimed, "Now will you get me something to wear already?"

He glanced at her and seemed to realize for the first time just what she might be having a problem with. He holstered his gun and held up his hands, "Alright, alright. Keep your britches on."

"In case you hadn't noticed... _I DON'T HAVE ANY BRITCHES RIGHT NOW_!"

"Man you're loud." Natsu huffed as he shook his head as he turned to look around for the rest of their stuff, and tried not to think about Lucy neck deep in water without a stitch on. Now that he was though, it was a little difficult not to.

Not that he particularly cared much about nudity one way or the other, but he'd never seen Lucy bare before, and there was a part of him that was very eager to. Because if her figure was anything to go by, she had an amazing body under her clothes. He shoved the thought to the side as he looked around. He had more important things to worry about right now. Unfortunately, it seemed something else had been added to the list as their packs were nowhere to be found.

He growled as he prowled around and spotted tracks heading off. No doubt the owner had been scared off with Lucy's roar, but that didn't help them now.

"What's taking so long?" Lucy called, "The packs should be just over there near Happy!"

"Should be." Natsu called, "But they ain't. Seems your thieves ran off with more'n just your clothes and keys."

"What?!" Lucy yelped as Natsu sighed and pulled off his hat so he could remove his shirt and boots.

"Here." He grunted as he clomped back over and held them out, "It'll have to do ya until we get your things back."

Lucy blinked as Natsu dropped both his shirt and his boots on the waterbank. He ducked his bandana in his back pocket and turned back to where Happy was watching the whole ordeal unravel with sly eyes.

He snagged the blanket off his horses back and walked back towards Lucy, shaking it out before dropping it down next to her, "Alright, bath time's over princess. We gotta head out if we've got any chance of gettin' our stuff an' your keys back."

The air was still warm despite the setting sun, and it would be difficult for them to catch their thief - but that meant it would also be difficult for them to travel far. Which meant they couldn't have gotten away yet, and Natsu intended on getting to them before they could make a genuine escape.

"Alright then," Lucy grumbled, glaring at Natsu from where just her eyes and nose were peeking out from above the water's surface, "Turn around!"

Natsu raised a slow eyebrow at her and rolled his eyes, turning around with an exaggerated shrug to his shoulders.

"Ain't yer primpin' what got us into this mess?" He grumbled, squawking a bit when a splash of water came from behind him to soak his back and hair. He nearly turned around to growl at her, but froze when he heard her body shift out of the water. Thinking better of his survival chances if he remained where he was, Natsu held very still instead, growling sullenly.

"Maybe _you_ could stand a bit of primping yourself! You smell like a horse's ass!" Lucy huffed at him.

He did _not_ smell like a horses' ass, but regardless Natsu was offended on behalf of Happy.

He listened sulkily to the sounds of Lucy drying off as best she could and the rustle of fabric as she pulled her improvised clothes on. Just as he was about to demand what was taking so long she sighed in apparent relief, "Alright. I'm ready."

"Took ya-" He started grumpily as he turned around only to pause at the sight before him. If her other outfit had been interesting to look at, this was positively scandalous.

The blanket had been tied tightly around her waist in a makeshift skirt that still revealed one very long and toned leg, while the excess of his shirt had been wrapped and tied firmly around her generous bosom. The result of which left part of her belly bare, and he couldn't help noting with appreciation that it was just as nicely toned as her leg.

"Hey!" Lucy snapped, clicking her fingers in his face, "Stop gawking and let's go!"

Natsu blinked and felt his cheeks heat, "I was waitin' on you!" He grumbled as he stalked over to Happy, who appeared to be looking at him with suppressed laughter.

He heard Lucy snort behind him as she moved to join him, "So what's the plan?"

"Just follow me princess." He growled, "And stick close."

Lucy rolled her eyes, but didn't respond as Natsu headed off after tracks even she could see. There was no way she'd stick anywhere but next to him. Even if she could track, which she couldn't, she wasn't the least inclined to wander off. She had a very large dose of pain to deliver to the bastards who had taken her stuff.

And she meant to deliver it in full.

Happy huffed and clomped after them, but Natsu made an apologetic noise and clicked his tongue at the horse.

"Sorry buddy, didn't mean to leave without you," he smiled, raising a hand to stroke along Happy's snout. The horse nickered, bumping his forehead against Natsu's.

"But I don't think they got far, and if they see us headin' for them on a horse things are gonna get real ugly quick before we can get Miss Lucy her keys back," he growled apologetically and dropped his hand heavily on Happy's neck.

"Sides, can you imagine Lucy ridin' on you without any pants on? Poor girl will chaff 'til there's nothin' left," Natsu smirked at his horse, who nickered and shook his head.

"That poor girl is right here I'll have you know," Lucy grouched at Natsu, "Don't you have better things to do than pokin' fun at me? I thought you were in a hurry."

Natsu nodded and patted his horse's neck one last time, twisting on his heel towards Lucy, "You'd be right there miss."

His eyes dipped down towards where she had tied his boots securely around her ankles so they wouldn't fall off her feet. It wasn't much, but it did seem to help her some.

Still it wouldn't do her any good to walk for a long period of time like that.

"C'mon," he opened up his arms, "I'm gonna have to carry you like this. It ain't far, but it's enough of a trek you'll break somethin' in this dark."

Lucy stared at him incredulously for a moment, hardly able to believe her ears, before reality imposed itself on her. He was right. As embarrassing as it was, he was absolutely right. She was more hindrance than help at the moment, and since it was rapidly getting darker there was a decent chance she really _would_ twist something.

Damn it all.

She sighed as she stepped close to him, trying not to think about how he was only wearing a vest and no shirt, "Alright."

Natsu smirked at her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and hefted her up bridal style. He'd been tempted to just throw her over his shoulder, but he knew if he did that she would start yelling and screaming and that would completely ruin their element of surprise.

"Just hold on." He purred into her ear, "I won't let anythin' happen."

"Somehow that's not as re-assuring as it should be." Lucy muttered back, a blush staining her cheeks at the way his breath had ghosted into her ear.

Something so simple should not feel so deliciously good.

Natsu just chuckled as he tightened his grip on her and sped up. It wasn't as easy as he'd hoped though. Not because he couldn't see or anything, but because he was suddenly aware of how his scent was mingling with Lucy's.

It was... very distracting.

He hadn't given it a second thought when he'd handed his shirt over, but now it wouldn't leave him alone despite the situation. Their scents made a nice blend together, and it left a certain tingling in the back of his throat whenever he was forced to breathe in.

That wasn't the only thing that was an issue. Lucy's skin was still damp in places, and it had him a little dizzy every time the wind ruffled her hair she shifted. It was like every breath made her scent stick to the roof of his mouth, leaving a slow burn in its wake. It spread from his mouth, curling down his throat to rest in his stomach where his flame licked at the scent like it was kindling.

It was like the time he was trapped under Lucy's skirt-

-and he immediately regretted that thought process, as soon he was unable to think of anything _but_ the reminder of sweltering under her dress.

The scent of her arousal thick around him, the flutter of her heartbeat loud in his eardrums, or the lacy press of her undergarments against his nose and hands.

His gut wrenched with sudden heat at the poignant reminder she was currently _without_ her bloomers, his heart started pounding traitorously in his chest.

Now wasn't the time to think about that. Or consider the what might have beens could've been if he and Lucy had been given enough time. Nor think about what had almost happened between them the other night after they danced together.

Not that telling himself that helped any at all. Her skin was smooth and felt like silk against his rough hands, and he couldn't seem to stop himself from wondering just what it would take for her makeshift skirt to fall open and reveal more than one creamy leg. Nor could he stop himself from wondering if she would smell as good as he remembered once he did.

Fortunately for his sanity, he was able to instinctively follow the trail despite the direction his thoughts had taken, and it wasn't much longer before he caught a whiff of their campfire.

He snorted contemptuously as he zeroed in on that direction. A campfire? Seriously? Were those guys stupid?

They must've been if they seriously thought they could get away with a campfire right after robbing someone. Of course, they wouldn't have counted on his abilities, but that was beside the point.

"Not real bright are they?" Lucy muttered as he gently set her down, and he flashed her a pleased smirk.

"Nope." He whispered back, his smirk widening into a broad grin as he crept forward, "Just stay here Miss Lucy. This won't take long."

"What? Those are my spirits they stole, I'm coming with you," Lucy hissed at him, ignoring the way his eyes pointedly dropped down her front before lifting back to her face.

"Yeah, no you ain't," Natsu said, his voice flat.

"I'm not helpless without my spirits Natsu, and I _am_ going to fight for them!" Lucy dragged a hand against the back of his vest, tugging him closer to her face.

She could see the way his prized coin glittered on his chest in the moonlight, and the way it hit his cheekbone. His eyes flashed with the deep temper of his starry nature, but he held still.

There was a softness there that seemed to consume him, his attention divested on her alone.

He caught her wrist in his hand, rough fingers sliding with gentle slowness over her skin. Lucy's heart lurched at the feeling and slowly she felt the heat from her anger spark out of her.

It fizzled away under the force of Natsu's blazing eyes and he leaned in closer to her, just enough for her to make out the gold flecking in his green eyes, even in the darkness around them.

"I know you'll fight for them. They know that too," Natsu whispered to her, his grip tightening around her wrist to give her a secure press, "Let me do this for you though. There's no need for you to risk yourself."

He flashed her a crooked grin, "You have my word that I won't make away with your keys if that's what you're worried about." he promised earnestly.

And much to her surprise, that thought hadn't even occurred to her.

"That's not it!" She blurted, and felt herself flush a bit, "I mean, I didn't think you would. It's just, I..."

She struggled to explain why she felt the way she did. Natsu already knew that she cared for them, even if she wasn't sure how much he believed her. She couldn't just not fight for them. Especially after she'd worked so hard to convince them that she would stand beside them.

"They're my friends." She concluded lamely. Fortunately, it seemed like Natsu believed her this time, as his crooked grin morphed into something softer.

"They know that." He repeated assuringly, "An' I can promise in this case they're not gonna hold it against ya if someone else does the rescuin'." He bumped his head lightly against hers, "You're way more important to 'em."

Lucy's heart flipped a little at the way they were so intimately close, but before it could do more than that he pulled away with his trademark cocky grin. The one that alternately infuriated her and made her heart race.

"I'll be right back." Natsu promised and leapt over the boulder they'd been hiding behind to go skidding down the incline with an eager cackle.

"Hey! Assholes!" He called, "I hope you're ready for a poundin'! Cause I got me one pissed off lady waitin' on her things!"

Lucy poked her head over the boulder, watching in the moonlight as Natsu's hand dropped to his chest, plucking open the buttons of his vest so it was left flapping in the night wind. There were something so arrogant about that casual movement, and the way he stood before the shocked bandits, that left Lucy biting her fist in second hand worry.

She _really_ hoped he wasn't biting off more than he could chew with all those bandits.

The concern quickly mounted when the bandits stood up, magic sparking from the weapons they had with them. Lucy gripped the rocky surface, gasping hard and pushing herself up to her feet. They were mages!

But no sooner had she taken a single step around the boulder did it take Natsu to pounce on the man closest to him. His hand caught the thief right in the face, slamming him into his partner and jettisoning them into the ground with a rush of flame backing up his already monstrous strength.

He smirked up at the remaining man, smoke trickling from the corners of his mouth in a clear warning that their magic was already widely outclassed.

The man backed away in terror at Natsu's strange magic, having never seen it be used without some item to channel it through.

"Seen ya before, haven't I?" Natsu purred at the man, straightening up and advancing towards him.

There was a burst of flame from the gun the man carried, momentarily enveloping Natsu's whole body before it was merely brushed away like an irritant.

Natsu smacked his lips together, breathing in the flames of the man's attack.

"What was it now... Bread? Boring...? Bora!" He tapped a fist to his open palm.

Lucy's jaw dropped. That was _Bora_ , the notorious kidnapper?

She'd heard rumors about him at Fairy Tail. How he'd been kicked out of Titan Nose for seducing women and swindling them out of their money. There had been even darker rumors that many of the women had vanished. Rumors that had been confirmed when his name went up as connected to the disappearances of twelve women.

From the rumors she'd thought he was tough, but Natsu was just messing around with him. She could tell by the confident smirk on his face. It was similar to the one he'd worn when he'd fought her, but also different. He had underestimated her in their fight... it didn't look like he'd underestimated Bora one bit.

She smirked a little and leaned back against the boulder she'd been hiding behind, "Try not to beat him up _too_ much Salamander!" She called, deciding she might as well enjoy the show from her vantage point, "He's worth eight hundred thousand jewel all by himself!"

Natsu froze for a moment and looked up at her, "Are you serious?" He demanded, "Bora's not worth half that!"

Lucy shrugged, "He's connected with a lot of women disappearing. The families aren't happy about that."

"That so?" Natsu purred as he turned his attention back to a nervous looking Bora and his men and flashed them a fangy smirk, "Well it'd be a shame to disappoint them wouldn't it?"

Admittedly they didn't really have time to go out of their way to turn a bounty in, but maybe there was a way to turn it in without having to go back to Magnolia.

Natsu cracked his knuckles and prowled forward, a predatory glint in his eyes. There was a hint of steel that settled behind his gaze at the mention of Bora taking advantage of women. His look promised nothing short of a jaw breaking beat down.

Bora threw up his hands in surrender immediately, his men cowering backwards, "You're the bandit Salamander?" He all but squeaked, "I'm sorry! Is this about the smuggling ring in Hargeon under your name? It was just business!"

Natsu froze, his head tilting to the side. Lucy could practically see the gears slowly turning inside his skull. There was a warning stiffening to his shoulders that Lucy had begun to recognize as a sign of his temper despite how blank his face had become.

Bora seemed to misunderstand Natsu's stillness as a good sign and took a hesitant step forward.

"We can cut you in on part of the profits! Women sell for a lot in certain circles! Saloons, brothels, and rich folk will pay out a lot for some hand maidens with pretty faces!" Bora spoke with increasing confidence.

His eyes flashed up towards where Lucy was standing, his stare rather pointedly gawking at her state of undress, "Isn't that Lady Heartfilia? She's awfully pretty, and her status would fetch a high pri-"

He was suddenly cut off from speaking when Natsu's hand shot out, fist crushing into his face without budging from where his heels were planted in the earth.

Arms trembling with rage, Natsu bore sharp fangs in a threatening snarl as he knelt and grabbed a fistful of Bora's shirt to haul him up.

"Wait! Fifty-fifty split!" Bora prattled on, "Who said there's no honour among thieves?"

"She'll fetch what?" He snarled furiously, fire licking at the back of his throat as he pulled Bora's face closer and shook him a little, "What were going to say?"

"A-a high price?" Bora squeaked in fear.

"You bastard!" Natsu raged knocking Bora back with another fire fueled punch, "I may not care much about humans in general." He growled as he prowled forward, fire and sparks erupting over his body, "But it takes a special kind of scum to hurt a queen!"

He crouched down a little, the fire intensifying, "Especially when that queen is my friend!"

Lucy's eyes widened as he launched himself forward, plowing headlong into Bora. Natsu considered her his friend? She supposed that made sense if she was supposed to be nest, but she'd never thought she would hear it spelled out like that. Her heart warmed a little and she smiled softly as he continued to rage at Bora.

It was heartwarming in a way really, that he would get so angry on her behalf like that. Or that he would get so angry about Bora's actions. Dragons were clearly far more enlightened than humans were in a lot of ways.

By the time Natsu's rage had run out Bora and his men were nothing but piles of slightly charred bruises already turning interesting colors.

"Coward." The angry dragon spat as he dropped Bora on top of the pile and headed over to the packs that had, somehow, managed to remain relatively intact. He shoved his nose curiously into them and grinned as he found a gold glint.

"Gotcha." He purred as he curled his fingers around Lucy's keys and turned around to hold them aloft, "I got 'em Miss Lucy!" He called, "All safe and sound!"

Lucy smiled with relief as he jogged over and dropped them into her waiting hand. He smiled at her, his expression open and seemingly rather pleased with himself now that he had worked off most of his anger and won Lucy back her keys.

Warmth spread through her chest, spilling out into her heart. She stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms securely around his middle before she could lose confidence.

She felt Natsu go stiff, his arms lifting rigid in the air as if unsure what to do before they settled around her.

"Thank you," Lucy murmured into his chest. There was a moment of stillness where she just felt the warmth of his breath against the top of her head, ghosting through her hair.

"My pleasure ma'am," Natsu huffed out a breathless laugh. His arms tightened around her, securing her in a firm hug before he pulled away. Natsu cleared his throat, a rough cough coming from him.

"So y'think we can get one of your spirits to help truss up these guys?" Natsu asked.

Lucy smiled and plucked a key from her belt, "It'd be my genuine pleasure sir."

"Open! Gate of the Maiden!" She called with a wicked smirk at Bora that widened when Virgo appeared.

"You called princess?" Virgo asked with a slight bow, her eyes widening fractionally at the sight of Lucy's current attire and the pile of men next to them.

"I did." Lucy replied, "Salamander here just finished punishing these men, and we're going to turn them in for bounties. Would you get them tied up so they don't get any ideas?"

"Yes princess." Virgo replied with a hint of eagerness, "Of course."

She turned to the pile of groaning bodies with a blank expression, but there was a gleam in the back of her eyes that had them shivering and feebly trying to escape as she grabbed hold of the first one and forcibly slammed him back into the ground with a rattling thump.

"You shouldn't move." She said emotionlessly, "It will make the bindings chafe more."

"And I'm pretty sure that wouldn't hurt your feelings at all." Lucy said quietly as Natsu watched in fascination as Virgo manhandled the humans into submission.

"Whoa..." He breathed, "She's pretty scary."

"Yeah she can be." Lucy grinned, "Now... where are my clothes?"

"Over there." Natsu replied, jerking his thumb back in the direction of the pile, "Looks like everything's there."

Lucy nodded and left him to his curious viewing as she headed over and retrieved the rest of her belongings.

* * *

 _ **And that's it for your chapter! You'll see us on Sunday for the next WA update!**_

 _ **Now we see some questions about Reset a lot. Kytrin and I are currently writing it, it's over 40 chapters long and we're maybe about halfway through the story, so we're not going to start posting it until we're finished or close to done! Also because it's SO FRIGGIN LONG we occasionally stop writing it occasionally to pick up other short projects, like Samhain. We actually started to write Reset BEFORE Wild Aces if that puts things in perspective for you.**_

 _ **That's not to say we will leave you hanging though! Once Wild Aces is finished, we will begin updating another completed fic we have so we don't leave you alone TOO long: Mythos.**_

 _ **Mythos will come out BEFORE Reset is posted more than likely because that fic is completely done, we're just not too keen on updating and reading over two big stories and posting them at the same time. We will also be working on What's a Witch and finishing that story up, again more than likely before Reset is completed.**_

 _ **Special thanks to EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED! You totally got your sneak peek! You guys rocked it!**_

* * *

 _"There's a lady present! Don't you have any shame?" Lucy squeaked._

 _Natsu tossed his head back and laughed, his teeth clicked together in a mischievous smile, his warm eyes gaining a touch of dark promise that had something in her shivering with delight._

 _"I ain't got the time for shame ma'am, life's too short," Natsu purred, a sultry edge to it that set something ablaze in Lucy._

 _She watched his prowling approach, the slow steps he took to her and the flex of his body as he walked. It was hard not to stare._

 _"'Sides," He growled, hands dropping to his waist, his movements slow and deliberate. Her eyes followed the movement, somewhat entranced by his steadiness._

 _Natsu snapped open the top button of his slacks, his tongue flashing out to wet his lips, "Your the one stickin' around for the peep show miss."_


	19. Clean Thing

**Hey guys! Kytrin here tonight! Since we've got two chapters going up tonight Mslead is busy getting Samhain ready while I took care of this one. Bit of a short chapter today, but Wednesday's will be longer. You guys enjoy!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 19**

 **Clean Thing**

 _Denotes propriety or what is honorable._

* * *

Detouring wasn't part of their plan, but there was no getting around dropping off Bora and his goons at the nearest town. They could hardly keep them around, and Natsu growled in suppressed fury at every reminder of what Bora had done under his name. Which was generally accomplished just by looking at the yellow bellied son of a bitch.

Bandits relied on their names, and Bora's was poignant enough on its own. For him to resort to using Natsu's meant he needed to spark more fear in his targets than his own incurred

And damn it! It was a matter of pride for himself and his family, they didn't want their name associated with attacking and kidnapping those humans considered their queens. That wasn't the legacy they wanted to leave behind.

Natsu growled angrily, especially as Bora was fool enough not to cover his face. Which meant Natsu was less likely to be able to convincingly use his own name now.

It was all a mess. Especially since now he would have to find the time to travel to Hargeon to undo all the harm Bora committed under his name on top of the mess they were already dancing on.

He growled again and glared over his shoulder at where the men were tied up behind them, trailing behind by a rope done by Virgo's clever fingers. He was more than a little tempted to give the rope a yank and drag them behind him instead of letting them walk.

Lucy glanced at him in alarm and gripped at his shirt, her hand flattening against his shoulder.

"It'll be alright." She promised quietly as they moved up to the sheriff station. They'd already attracted a curious crowd of gawkers, which had likely alerted the sheriff himself, as he stepped outside just as they approached.

"Somethin' I can do for ya?" He drawled, taking in their appearance and unusual cargo.

"I'm Lucy Heartfilia of the Fairy Tail guild." Lucy replied formally, showing the man her guild mark, "My partner and I were on another mission when we encountered these men." She gestured at Bora, "The badly dressed one is Bora. We'd like to turn in him and his gang for their bounties."

The sheriff's eyebrows rose to his hat, "Well now," He replied in a more interested tone, "That's quite the haul Miss Heartfilia. How'd you encounter them?"

Lucy huffed and shot Bora a poisonous look, "Let's just say they've got no sense of decency or propriety."

"You weren't harmed were you miss?" The man asked in concern, and Lucy gave him a small smile.

"No I wasn't thank you. They tried to make off with our belongings though. That's why we went after them."

The sheriff nodded, "Well enough ma'am." He replied, "I'll hold 'em in the special cells until they can be dealt with an' have 'em send the bounties on to Fairy Tail for ya to collect."

"Much obliged." Lucy replied with a smile and a slight curtsy, "Would you also send word of this to Hargeon? We found out during our fight that Bora's been using Salamander's name out there to take girls."

The Sheriff blinked, clearly not sure what the difference was between one bandit and another.

Natsu however gave Lucy a pleased smile, a flush dusting the top of his cheeks when she brought it up.

"Salamander, Bora? What's the difference, a bandit is a bandit, but we appreciate the heads up Miss Heartfilia," the Sheriff said kindly, tipping his hat towards her, "We'll look into it."

Lucy set a hand on Natsu's back, feeling him tense over being lumped in with the same group as a man like Bora. She could tell it unsettled him.

But that was the unfortunate circumstance of being a bandit. Living outside the law didn't mean people understood which lines certain thieves wouldn't cross.

For most people all bandits were bad and if one was taken off the roads then it was all the better.

"It's important because Salamander only goes after high value targets, so the women he went after are more 'n likely from rich families," Natsu said roughly.

"Not only that," Lucy said, "But since Bora was the one doing the kidnapping then they might be able to find out where their daughters are and get them back."

The sheriff frowned thoughtfully and nodded, "Hadn't thought of that miss." He replied, "Thanks for the tip."

Lucy smiled at him and nodded, silently breathing a sigh of relief as she and Natsu departed. She didn't trust Natsu's temper to remain bottled up for too long. Fortunately, it seemed that while that sheriff was every inch the law abiding man, he wasn't too thick. Or patronizing to women. Which was always nice.

Once they were safely out of sight she breathed out and flashed Natsu a smile, "All done."

Natsu nodded, and tried to shake off his irritation as he smiled at her, "Thanks for that back there."

Lucy nodded, "Your reputation isn't exactly sparkly, but there was no need to have it tracked through worse mud. At least now they'll know Salamander doesn't prey on women."

Natsu snorted as he swung into Happy's saddle, "Like I ever would." He growled as he held out a hand for her to join him, "Ain't a dragon alive that would."

Lucy's smile widened a little at that as she curled her arms tightly around his waist. It was good to know Natsu felt so strongly about it.

"C'mon." Natsu grunted as he turned Happy back in the proper direction, "Let's get goin'."

"You think we'll make it in time for the meet up?" Lucy asked, adjusting her hat over her head to squint out into the open heat.

Natsu's hand rose, his fingers covering the top of her hand and squeezing her wrist.

"Aye, don't you worry about that Miss Lucy," he grinned back at her, his roguish smile back on his face and looking, "Happy practically can fly remember!"

Happy nickered back at her, and Lucy made a warning noise at him.

"Don't you dare!" She hissed furiously, but it was too late. Happy whinnied excitedly as Natsu yipped at him and in seconds he'd taken off at a full gallop that was only getting faster.

-::-

One wild ride later, Lucy eyed the compound in the distance warily from behind the safety of a rock, "This won't be easy." She muttered, her nerves back in force now that she was faced with the reality of what they were doing, "Are you going to be alright?"

"Shouldn't I be the one askin' that question?" Natsu asked with a raised eyebrow, "You're the one goin' in there with just a pretty dress, your smile, an' your keys."

Lucy smirked at him, "What, you don't count yourself in this?"

Natsu shot her a disgruntled pout before crossing his arms and sticking his nose in the air, "I'm in a whole _other_ league."

Lucy snorted on a laugh, unable to resist pausing for a moment to admire the profile he cut when he did that. Despite how aggravating he could be, and how much he postured, there was no question he cut a handsome profile any time.

"Sure ya are." She drawled as she dug out her skirt and began smoothing it out, cringing a little at the wrinkles it had acquired during their travels. It would take her a while to set that to rights, but at least it wasn't a whole dress. The style was different from her usual one, but it was pretty enough, and practical enough she doubted anyone would question the change.

Fortunately, they had the time. Their hiding place was well concealed and next to a water source. They could afford the time to get everything perfect before heading into the lion's den so to speak.

She glanced back at Natsu who was beginning to shrug out of his vest. He dropped it over Happy's rear, the hose flicking his tail but making no other motion to move.

"What're you doing?" Lucy asked him, faint surprise coloring her voice.

Natsu glanced at her, hands falling to his holster and unbuckling it. He pulled his shirt up from where it was tucked into his pants, affording Lucy a quick glance at the tan skin beneath before he began to unbutton it.

"Gettin' ready?" He asked, a faint smirk crawling over his face. He dragged the shirt off his shoulders once it was open, his smirk gaining a wicked edge.

Lucy's cheeks warmed as she gawked at him. He was all sleek, lean muscle and the way his smile dragged languid over his face spoke only of indecency.

"Wh-what?" Lucy stammered, her hands fluttering unsurely. Being around a half naked man surely wasn't proper but she found herself rooted to her spot staring at him.

"There's a lady present! Don't you have any shame?" Lucy squeaked.

Natsu tossed his head back and laughed, his teeth clicked together in a mischievous smile, his warm eyes gaining a touch of dark promise that had something in her shivering with delight.

"I ain't got the time for shame ma'am, life's too short," Natsu purred, a sultry edge to it that set something ablaze in Lucy.

She watched his prowling approach, the slow steps he took to her and the flex of his body as he walked. It was hard not to stare.

"'Sides," He growled, hands dropping to his waist, his movements slow and deliberate. Her eyes followed the movement, somewhat entranced by his steadiness.

Natsu snapped open the top button of his slacks, his tongue flashing out to wet his lips, "Your the one stickin' around for the peep show miss."

Lucy's cheeks flamed red, a ragged gasp catching in her chest. Unable to think of what to say, especially in the face of heat flaring through her at his growled encouragements, Lucy picked up her skirts and promptly fled to the other side of Happy.

She ignored the amused look the horse was giving her as she resumed her preparations and tried very hard to pretend she couldn't hear Natsu's amused chuckles on the other side. She wasn't going to think about it. She _wasn't_.

She hadn't meant to look. It had just sort of happened. Unfortunately, that didn't stop her memory from replaying it over and over. The way he'd looked without his shirt on, all defined and chiseled. The evil smirk that had promised sin, and sent her pulse racing at just the memory. And especially the way he'd prowled towards her.

He'd looked at her like she was prey and he was a very hungry predator.

It sent shivers up her spine just thinking about it, and she couldn't help wondering what it would've been like if he'd pressed that hard body against hers. If those wicked lips had lived up to the promise.

She bit back a groan and thumped her head quietly against her hand. She was being ridiculous. Now was not the time for any of that.

Of course, no sooner had she thought that then the fates, it seemed, wanted to have a laugh at her as Happy abruptly and casually walked out from between her and Natsu.

Chances were the damn horse was laughing at her too.

Though that thought was a distant one as she found herself staring unexpectedly at the sight of a completely nude Natsu in the middle of washing up.

Even to Natsu's credit, he looked a little surprised over being caught - literally with his pants down.

He was kneeling down by the river they were camped next to, a pail of water next to him which he was using to bathe from. His mouth was parted, his head cocked at her.

"Oh my lord, you're naked!" Lucy squeaked at him, as if he couldn't very well have figured that out himself.

He did in fact look down between his legs, as though to check, before his head craned back up with a lopsided smirk, "Aye Miss Lucy, that I am."

"Why!"

He almost looked a little offended as he stood up and turned towards her, causing Lucy's eyes to dip in dangerous territory past his hips. She squeaked and snapped her eyes up to his face.

But her traitorous eyes kept travelling down his broad chest, his defined abs all the way down the tight v that cut across his waist pointing back where Lucy definitely should not have been looking.

And oh gods, he was walking to her now! His bare feet left steaming trails on the hard ground, droplets of water trickling from his hair and along the sharp cut of his jaw. Lucy felt the insane desire to lean in close and lick it off the tip of his chin.

She must have had a touch of desert fever, because the impropriety of her thoughts lately would have seen her sent to the nunnery had she spoken them aloud.

"Well you're the one who said I smelled like a horse's ass, I can't well have a sit down with Hades like that, now can I?" Natsu snorted, giving Lucy a critical look.

"Not that you're much better, lookin' all wrinkled like ya rolled outta bed," he snorted.

Lucy shot him a sulky look, her offense at how she looked overriding her mortification and traitorous eyes, "It's not my fault my skirt has been at the bottom of a backpack all this time!"

She huffed a little as she tugged lightly at it, "It's going to take a while to walk the wrinkles out."

She supposed she could always wet it and hang it out to dry overnight as well. In fact that might be the better option. She was drawn out of her musings by a derisive snort and abruptly the fabric was being plucked from her hands.

"You're forgettin' who you're travelin' with." Natsu smirked as he promptly dunked the thing in the river without warning and pulled it back out.

Lucy was just about to protest when he flashed her a wicked smirk and started running his free hand over it. Her jaw dropped as the fabric began to dry straight and clean. He was ironing her skirt. Probably in the most unconventional way possible, but he was still doing it.

While he was completely naked.

Her eyes flicked back down automatically at the thought and she blushed as she got a good side view of what was between his legs. She wrenched her eyes away quickly, fastening them firmly on the skirt, but there was a part of her that wanted to look again. To get closer and see just what all the fuss was about.

She firmly tamped the desire down as he continued to work. She was being utterly ridiculous, and if this kept up there was no way she could look him in the eye during their charade.

That didn't stop her from blushing brightly as he handed her skirt back though.

She smiled at him through her blush, folding the fabric over her arm, "Thank you Natsu."

"Don't mention it," Natsu grinned at her, looking quite pleased with himself.

Lucy had to restrain the urge to hide her face behind her skirt as he turned around and headed back to his bucket to resume cleaning.

She whipped her head at Happy, who was nickering and clomping his hooves in the dirt.

"Oh shut up," She hissed at him, stomping off after Happy to finish getting changed.

* * *

 _ **Special shout out and love to everyone who reviewed! You guys rocked it again, and more than earned your preview! Enjoy and we'll see you Wednesday!** _

_"Sir are you accusing me of breaking the law?" Hades asked in a dangerous tone._

 _Jude shook his head, looking amused._

 _"Accusing? Not at all good sir, I have all the proof I need already. I could have you locked up in a paddywagon before dusk if it suited my fancy," Jude smiled at Hades, "But as I said before, this is a business meeting. And that's what I'm interested in."_

 _Lucy felt a cold weight drop into the pit of her stomach, the acidic taste of bile sitting right at the base of her throat. Especially by the way Hades seemed... **interested** in what her father had to say._

 _"There's no need for the subterfuge. The game you play is a lucrative one, and I can make that job infinitely easier for you so there's not a paper trail left behind to besmirch both my name and yours," Jude gave Hades an amused look, "It would just make both of our lives easier if we became business partners."_


	20. Of the First Water

**Hey guys! It's Mslead with your Wednesday update! I think Kytrin is looking over Samhain for you guys right now too! I won't keep you from your update though! Here is Wild Aces!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 20**

 _ ** **Of the First Water****_

 _First class. "He's a gentleman of the first water."_

* * *

By the time they finished getting ready, Lucy was definitely hoping to finally put an end to this whole facade. Putting Hades behind her family would just be a distant memory in a long line of what was hopefully a string of bad mistakes.

 _"You look like a stuffed shirt peacock,"_ Gajeel's voice came from the lacrima Natsu was using to communicate with his brother.

"I look better'n you," Natsu scowled at Gajeel, but he tugged at the collar that dug too deep into his strong throat. He hissed in displeasure, scratching at it.

 _"Enough you two. Lucy, I hope you know what you're doing, we're counting on you to get to Hades. Precht is not the type to be taken off guard, so be very careful."_ Levy's voice rose from somewhere out of sight next to Gajeel.

"We'll be okay. Just stay in position near the railways and let us know if anything strange is happening there, okay?" Lucy asked.

 _"Yes ma'am..."_ Gajeel grunted before the line went dead.

Lucy blinked at Natsu in surprise and he just rolled his shoulders.

"My my, from Gajeel that sounded almost personable!" Lucy said in shock.

Natsu just grinned at her when he stowed away the lacrima, "Miss Levy must've made him warm up. He can be more stubborn than a mule."

He tipped his hat off his head and stuck it on Happy's saddlebags, clicking his tongue at his horse.

"Alright buddy, you know what to do," Natsu gave Happy an affectionate swat to his flank to get him moving. The horse blew a huff at the back of Natsu's head before trotting off and taking their things with him.

Natsu scowled at the stiff, nice clothes he had stuffed himself into and twisted at his waist to get some movement into it.

When that proved fruitless, he sighed and extended an elbow to Lucy.

"You ready?" He asked her, a confident smile flashing over his face.

Lucy swallowed, tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow.

"Yeah."

Natsu flashed her a warm look and gently covered her hand with his free one. As much fun as it had been to watch her squeak, stammer and blush earlier, he knew she was a bundle of nerves again. Right now she needed assurance before anything else.

She flashed him a wane smile before putting on her business face. She felt like she was going to be sick any second now, but she walked with her head held high like the lady she'd been raised to be.

"Lady Heartfilia." The butler at the door said with clear surprise, and pulled the door open wider to allow them in, "I apologize, but we were not expecting you here today." He said with a slight bow, "And your father said nothing of your attendance today either."

"My father?" Lucy replied with her own surprise, her heart suddenly in her throat.

"Yes dear." A new voice growled, and they turned to see Lucy's father staring at them imposingly, "I came ahead to go over the annual review of our contract with Lord Gaebolg."

He looked at the butler, "My apologies Anton. I neglected to mention my daughter would be following me with her escort. Could I trouble you to have a set of rooms set up for them?" He flashed Natsu a narrow look, "Separate rooms?"

"Of course Lord Heartfilia." The man bowed respectfully before pausing, "Ah, is there no luggage for the Lord and Lady?"

"Unfortunately not." Lucy spoke, quick on her feet, "We were accosted by bandits along the way. We were able to drive them off, but they departed with all of our other things."

"I see," came Jude's slow reply, "Then can you provide something suitable for my daughter and her suitor until appropriate replacements can be made?"

"Yes sir." The butler spoke and bowed again before heading off.

Lucy swallowed a little as they were left alone with her father. He did not look happy, and she suddenly felt like she was five and with her hand caught in the cookie jar just before dinner.

Natsu's gaze flicked between Jude and Lucy, his expression guarded and clearly unsure how to read the situation. But he knew how delicate family situations were, so he held still for the time being.

Jude struck his hands behind his back, his shoulders straight and lips pressed into an annoyed line, "I understand that I've given you a lot of slack since your mother died, but showing up here out of the blue is the height of embarrassment for our family."

"You will hold your tongue in front of Mister Gaebolg and mind your place Lucy," His eyes flashed over Natsu with clear disdain, as if not believing for a second he was of higher society, "you and your... friend."

Lucy reared back as if struck by her father's words, causing Natsu to growl out a quiet warning. She let out a shaky breath, but lifted her chin despite the sting behind her eyes.

Lucy's hand gripped firmly onto Natsu's forearm, to prevent him from snarling forward. Instead she quietly endured her father's words and locked her jaw, "I understand father, my apologies. Bringing shame to the Heartfilia name would be the worst offense."

Jude harrumphed, but Natsu could feel a flicker of pride for Lucy over her firm stance, despite the appearances of giving into her father's demand. _He_ picked up on the subtle cues in her voice.

Luckily they were saved from continuing the stilted conversation when none other than Lord Precht himself walked into the room from a side door.

"I thank you for your patience Mister Heartfilia, I know you've been waiting for some time," Hades walked in, catching sight of Lucy and Natsu halfway through his step.

His posture straightened and he inclined a formal bow to Lucy, who returned with a perfect curtsey, "ah, Miss Heartfilia! I was unaware you'd be accompanying your father on his travels!"

He glanced at Natsu and stuck out a hand, "And with a guest!"

Natsu stared at the appendage for a moment as if it were poison. For a moment he fought with himself over reaching over and strangling Hades himself for putting his family through everything he had, but summoned up the strength to reach out and take the man's hand.

"It's a pleasure," Natsu said with far more smoothness than he really felt, "I apologize for intruding."

"The pleasure's mine." Hades responded smoothly, a small smile flitting over his lips as he released Natsu's hand, before he turned to Jude, "Will the young ones be joining us Mister Heartfilia?"

"If it's not too much trouble I would like Lucy to join us." Jude replied stiffly, "She will still one day take over Heartfilia Rails, and today would be a fine learning experience for her."

Hades nodded, "Of course. It's no trouble at all."

"Come Lucy." Jude growled, "Your friend can remain here while we attend our meeting."

Lucy shot Natsu a worried glance, but dipped her head in apparent submission, "Yes father." She murmured.

Natsu bit back his anger at seeing her like that. No queen should bow their heads like that. Granted, Jude was her father, but it still looked and felt wrong.

Instead he gave her a small, encouraging, smile, and settled down on one of the chairs. Naturally, he had no intention of staying there if he could help it. No more than he knew Lucy intended to actually obey her father beyond the moment.

No matter what he would be there when everything went sideways. He'd promised to protect her and protect her he would.

Lucy watched him settle down, and felt a small part of herself relax at his calm posture and slightly cocky grin. Natsu was willing to play his part a bit longer. That was good.

She didn't know what involvement her father had with Hades, but whatever it was she was about to find out. She was certain of that. And she would deal with the consequences when they happened. No matter which way it went.

She just hoped her father could forgive her if he was truly innocent. As unlikely as that seemed right now.

Hades, playing ever the gracious host, gestured for Jude and Lucy to be seated. They did so easily, Lucy feeling a touch on the nervous side now that she was actually with Hades and their plan was already going sideways thanks to her father's appearance.

Jude for his part didn't even pause to look at Lucy. In fact he didn't waste any time with preamble before he launched right into talks of a business transaction with Hades. He scooted forward in his seat and folded his hands in front of his body.

"Mister Gaebolg, it occurs to me over the course of the past year, you have had multiple shipments through my company," Jude nodded to Hades.

The other man nodded gracefully, his fingers steepled together as he leaned back in his chair, "Yes, Heartfilia Rails are certainly the fastest when it comes to shipping my goods. It would be foolhardy to look elsewhere for shipments. Especially considering the alternative is wagon."

Jude cleared his throat and Lucy tensed at the look on her father's face. He smiled, somewhat coolly and with a calculating air she couldn't say she was fond to see. She only saw that expression on his face when he was about to do something she didn't like.

"Then you should also know Heartfilia Rails also values its clients privacy," Jude said with a slowness that could only be deliberate, "Especially when it comes to the record keeping of the manifests onboard the trains."

Hades went still, just as still as Lucy. Jude leaned back, seeming to know he was in control of the room.

"I have noticed the counter weight in the freight cars provided to you in your shipments greatly changes when it stops on Hargeon or other port towns," Jude said calmly, "It's enough for me to be lead to believe that cargo is being moved off the train at that port and being replaced by something - or rather _someone_ else."

Lucy smothered the impulse to cover her mouth with her hands, horrified at what her father was insinuating. Human smuggling? Through Heartfilia Rails?

Surely he wouldn't allow this!

Hades went rigid, his good eye narrowing on Jude, who sat still and impassive save the small smile on his face.

"Sir are you accusing me of breaking the law?" Hades asked in a dangerous tone.

Jude shook his head, looking amused.

"Accusing? Not at all good sir, I have all the proof I need already. I could have you locked up in a paddywagon before dusk if it suited my fancy," Jude smiled at Hades, "But as I said before, this is a business meeting. And that's what I'm interested in."

Lucy felt a cold weight drop into the pit of her stomach, the acidic taste of bile sitting right at the base of her throat. Especially by the way Hades seemed... _interested_ in what her father had to say.

"There's no need for the subterfuge. The game you play is a lucrative one, and I can make that job infinitely easier for you so there's not a paper trail left behind to besmirch both my name and yours," Jude gave Hades an amused look, "It would just make both of our lives easier if we became business partners."

-::-

Natsu, for his part had lasted all of three seconds after they left before he had to stand up and start moving.

He'd never been any good at waiting. Sitting still for too long, unless he was being lazy, had always driven him insane. Though this was infinitely worse. The woman he'd begun to think of as nest in truth was gone, and though he knew she could take care of herself he didn't know if she was a match for Hades.

In fact, he was fairly certain she wasn't.

Her spirits might be loyal, and powerful in the case of that Loke guy, but they were limited in number and could still be injured. And if they were hurt enough they'd have to retreat to the celestial realm to heal. Which would leave Lucy vulnerable.

His fingers twitched a little at the thought of her vulnerable while he was sitting around and he turned and strode towards the door.

Maybe he couldn't sit in on the meeting, but he could damn well get close enough it wouldn't matter!

Close enough that if Lucy got in trouble he could be there in an instant.

He paused as his fingers brushed the handle, a voice of caution in his head, that sounded a lot like Lucy, warning him to be careful. They were still undercover. For the moment.

He glanced down at himself and huffed as he impatiently pulled the ridiculous tie off and undid his top button. He would've preferred his usual clothes for sneaking around, but this would have to do.

Once he was a little more comfortable he eased open the door and poked his head out cautiously before slithering out and down the hall. He wasn't sure if the staff had been told he was supposed to stay locked up or not, but he wasn't taking any chances. He didn't really want to fight regular folks if he could avoid it.

Thankfully, no one appeared as he made his way carefully down the hall in the direction of Lucy's scent. With luck he could find the place they were meeting, which was probably Hades' study now that he thought about it, and camp out somewhere to keep an eye on things.

Of course, his luck wasn't nearly that good.

Not two turns before reaching the study he rounded a corner and crashed face first into someone. His heart thumping a bit with the fear they'd finished their meeting already he jumped back with an apology on his lips.

An apology that died as soon as he got a good look at the crazed expression on the stranger's face, and detected the unmistakable scent of smoke and ruin clinging to him.

"Well well," the man smirked at him, dropping his hands on his hips as he canted his head towards the left and right. He swung around Natsu, like a predator would while watching their prey.

Natsu, not used to being on the other end of a look like that, stiffened in challenge. He kept his gaze locked on the man with the wild blond hair and the flaming red eyes.

A fire mage?

Natsu could practically smell the crazy coming off the guy, which considering his own track record was saying a considerable amount.

"Look at who's wandering around unsupervised, y'know that's pretty rude," the man scoffed at Natsu.

He could tell by this man's disheveled appearance that he wasn't a normal member of Hades' staff, and that he should take care.

"Just lookin' for an outhouse," Natsu replied shortly, not even bothering for politeness.

"That so?" the man walked forward a couple of steps to stop behind Natsu.

He felt a flare of heat behind him even as he walked further down the hall.

"Didn't think dragon's liked to be indoors."

Natsu's stomach plummeted and he whipped around, just as a jet of black fire came blasting towards him.

-::-

Lucy listened in carefully hidden horror as her father and Hades verbally fenced with each other. Neither outright stated what her father had insinuated so brazenly however, until Jude leaned back and steepled his fingers.

"Your needs are quite interesting Mister Gaebolg." He said at last, "Far more diverse than I was originally led to believe. I wonder if Heartfilia Rails may be able to help in ways other than shipping."

"How so Mister Heartfilia?" Hades replied curiously, and Lucy struggled not to react at the smile her father gave the man.

"All manner of ways." He replied smoothly, "Heartfilia Rails is only one small portion of the businesses and wealth the family as a whole possesses. The Heartfilia women have married well and been successful at business and other ventures for centuries. That's centuries worth of contacts and resources I have access to. I merely need to know what sort of resources you might require to assist."

Hades' eye gleamed excitedly, "Is that a fact Mister Heartfilia? You would not be concerned with the potential damage to their reputations should this get out?"

Jude snorted, "It will only get out if we allow it out." He replied dryly, "As for reputation with the family, I have the ability to cover my tracks in much the same way we've been discussing with your current cargo."

Hades nodded thoughtfully, "We require a number of things." He replied after several moments, "We have a good supplier for our primary need, but we lack a number of other items such as tools and food. It's difficult to transport in quantities large enough to avoid suspicion."

"Yes, I do suppose it can be troubling to feed that many people, especially if they'll be expending a lot of energy doing hard labor," Jude said thoughtfully.

Lucy could hardly believe her own ears as her father and Hades began to plan out secret trade routes to smuggle his 'cargo.'

It was like her father was a man she had never known before in her entire life. The kind man that encouraged her to travel on her own, to explore Fairy Tail and join a guild had just been a farce? Had her father made them their fortune by profiting off the pain of others?

Lucy was horrified and disgusted, and she sat there numb to it all.

Jude edged over a map Hades had provided and frowned, scratching at his moustache.

"The only issue is the place we have picked out for the transport. Without knowing precisely how much cargo we're picking up, I can't guarantee it will make it to the train without being hindered by some outside force," Jude grumbled.

Hades shrugged, "Typically Bora provides us about fifteen women. They tend to the needs of the workers and situate themselves with the washing and cleaning on the ships we keep them on. Otherwise, the hardier ones are lumped in with the men for labor."

"I see," Jude murmured, his eyes glittering at the knowledge, "And how precisely does this Bora fellow obtain these women?"

Hades waved a dismissive hand, "it matters not. In the past we had groups disguised as bandits to hit towns to steal their women, children and men for camps, but this method had been far more discreet."

"Perhaps, until now," Jude said sharply, making Lucy jolt from her seat.

Jude dipped a hand into the breast pocket of his jacket, a lacrima situated in the palm of his hand.

"Congratulations Mister Gaebolg, you've just confessed the entirety of your crimes to Magnolia's sheriff and one of his deputies," Jude said clearly.

Lucy gaped at the familiar face in the lacrima, having seen it a couple of times around town when Erza dragged her along to pay the man a visit.

"Sheriff Fernandez?" Lucy gasped in shock.

* * *

 _ **FOOLED YA SUCKERS! HAHAHAHA. How many people were screaming 'F YOU JUDE'**_

 _ **Here's the answer. ALMOST ALL Y'ALL. HAHAHAHAHA. Here's your Sneak Peek guys for nailing your reviews and making me laugh hysterically with all your funny comments. It was a blast! See you guys on Sunday!**_

* * *

 _Jude hesitated for a moment before he nodded at his daughter and disappeared to safety. It turned out to be a wise decision as no sooner had he disappeared did Natsu go slamming into the wall above Lucy's head._

 _His hand was caught by a chain that was wrapped around his neck, barely saving himself from being strangled._

 _The metal pulsed with purple magic as he struggled to his knees, a strange kind of fire crackling at his lips._

 _Whatever spell Natsu was trying to cast though was being stopped short by his stunted oxygen flow._

 _Lucy scrambled upright, her hand steadying his hot shoulders, "Hang on!"_

 _Her fingers yanked around one key, jerking it upright through the air, "Open! Gate of the giant crab! Cancer!"_

The stardress flashed into place, twin swords appeared in each of her hands and she twisted her body around to slice the celestial swords straight through the chain suffocating her companion.


	21. Get it in the Neck

**Hey everyone! It's Mslead with your Sunday update! Kytrin and I are busy as usual working on some fun new secret SHENANIGANS for you! We haven't decided on what yet though. :D so Stay tuned for whenever we decide what it'll be! Without further ado, here is your chapter!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 21**

 _ **Get it in the Neck  
**_ _get cheated, misled, bamboozled._

* * *

Magnolia's Sheriff started a little in surprise at the discovery Lucy was sitting there, "Miss Lucy." He greeted, "This is a surprise." His lips twitched into a small smile, "I would be interested to know how you came to be part of this investigation, but that can wait."

His gaze turned to Hades' and all traces of his genial expression vanished to a flinty cold that had Lucy shivering a little as she tried to wrap her mind around the idea that all of her previously shattered beliefs were right after all. She was eternally grateful that such a gaze wasn't directed at her.

"Precht Gaebolg." Jellal growled, "You are under arrest-"

The rest of what Jellal was going to say was interrupted by a massive explosion that rattled the building, causing bits of plaster to fall all around them.

"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed in alarm as she surged out of her chair, absolutely certain he was the source of the explosion.

"Lucy what's going on?" Jude demanded as he also rose, and Lucy turned just in time to see Hades charging up a spell.

"Dad!" She cried, and lunged at him just in time to knock him out of the spell's path.

"It's truly a shame, you didn't prattle on longer. A few minutes more and Zancrow would have been able to determine if the man you were traveling with was indeed a dragon and I could have wrapped this all up quietly." Hades said calm, his eyes narrowed on them as he advanced.

He held a chain by his side, the magic channeling through the metal and swaying before them. With a start of horror, Lucy realized it had been on his lap the entire time. Hidden by the desk he was sitting at.

"Still, it's unfortunate I allowed my tongue to slip, but I'm afraid you won't be alive much longer for it to be a concern," Hades snapped his wrist, slicing the lacrima clean in half. Jellal's startled face disappeared from its surface a moment later.

"It's no matter, we will see the Sheriff sharing the same fate as both of you soon enough," he raised a hand while Lucy lunged for her keys.

She had to protect her father, but that also meant fighting. In these quarters there was no chance he escaped unscathed!

At least that would have been her thought had the wall right behind Hades not split open in a wide crack. A crack that increased in size within seconds.

Right before the entire wall exploded into a show of dust.

Natsu went hurtling forward, his arms wrapped around a blond haired man as both he, and Hades were smashed under the chunks of the wall.

Natsu breathed out heavily, his clothes mostly destroyed and in shambles. His sleeves were burned all the way up his arms, and his pants hung by his calves.

"Hey, found ya..." He panted.

As if he hadn't just accidentally crushed the man they were looking for under a wall of brick. To his credit though, Lucy wasn't sure he noticed.

"Perfect timing." Lucy breathed in relief, and tugged her father's hand, "Come on." She told him in a voice that brooked no argument, "This is about to get very ugly."

She half dragged him out of the office, but they didn't get far before Jude pulled her to a stop.

"I want to know what's going on Lucy." He demanded, "Who is that boy, and what's going on back there."

"I don't have time to explain the details right now." Lucy replied firmly, "But you were about to get caught in the crossfire of a magic battle. If Natsu hadn't shown up when he did..." She shook her head and glared at him, "I'm not gonna let that happen!"

She ducked her head a little as the tears that had been threatening for the past hour started to well up. She didn't really know what to think about anything at the moment, but she wasn't about to leave her father defenseless in the middle of a magical fight. Despite the whirlwind of emotions she'd experienced she loved him far too much to do that.

"Lucy..." Jude rumbled and she jumped a little when his hands dropped on her shoulders. She looked up to find his warm, approving, gaze on her and the tears stung a little more.

"So like your mother." He chuckled fondly, and pulled her into a brief hug, "I'm sorry for the deception earlier-" He began, but the house shook dangerously as Natsu burst through the wall and crashed against the far one. He leapt to his feet with fire wreathing his fists as he snarled at someone still in the office.

"Go dad." Lucy told him sternly as she stepped between her father and the fight, "Run. If the sheriff is nearby tell him to hurry. We'll need all the help we can get."

Jude hesitated for a moment before he nodded at his daughter and disappeared to safety. It turned out to be a wise decision as no sooner had he disappeared did Natsu go slamming into the wall above Lucy's head.

His hand was caught by a chain that was wrapped around his neck, barely saving himself from being strangled.

The metal pulsed with purple magic as he struggled to his knees, a strange kind of fire crackling at his lips.

Whatever spell Natsu was trying to cast though was being stopped short by his stunted oxygen flow.

Lucy scrambled upright, her hand steadying his hot shoulders, "Hang on!"

Her fingers yanked around one key, jerking it upright through the air, "Open! Gate of the giant crab! Cancer!"

The stardress flashed into place, twin swords appeared in each of her hands and she twisted her body around to slice the celestial swords straight through the chain suffocating her companion.

At once Natsu ripped the metal from his throat, coughing and wheezing for breath. He shook his head, tongue catching the corner of his mouth

"Thanks Lucy," Natsu growled. His knuckles cracked as he twisted them into tight fists. He turned golden eyes on her, almost startling Lucy with their ferocity. They were certainly the eyes of a dragon.

"Blond and Crazy went down after a few knocks, but Hades is something different," Natsu panted, "He's been imbued with some kind of strange magic I've never seen. It feels like a black star."

A chill ran up Lucy's spine and she shifted her dresses at his words. Sagittarius coated over her form, a bow lifting into the air with her arrows at the ready. "Then we'll have to defeat him the old fashioned way."

"I'd wager y'mean together?" Natsu glanced at her, a smile curling the corner of his mouth.

"Could be," Lucy allowed as Natsu took a wide step forward.

"I got an idea, a little trick I picked up from my brother, but I'm gonna to need you to cover me," Natsu growled quietly to her, "I get pretty loopy after I let this thing fly."

"Oh this is going to be good," Lucy quirked a grin at him. Natsu smirked back.

"Here's hopin'."

Natsu stepped forward a little, flames enveloping his body followed shortly by lightning crackling in their midst. Lucy took a half a step back as his power built. She didn't think any of it would hurt her, but it looked wild and chaotic enough it was hard to tell.

"Do you really think you can beat me boy?" Hades scoffed derisively, but Natsu just grinned toothily at him.

"I know I can old man." He growled back and crouched as a massive ball of fire engulfed one fist and an equally massive ball of lightning engulfed the other one.

In one fluid motion he lunged forward and took a flying leap at Hades, "CRIMSON LOTUS EXPLODING LIGHTNING BLADE!"

Lucy's jaw dropped as a sideways twister of fire and lightning exploded into being and engulfed Hades.

She'd never seen magic even remotely like that. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time. It was almost unbelievable to imagine such power existed, but the proof was before her eyes.

It made her wonder what the original ancient dragons had been like.

Hades screamed as the blast tore into him. He was vaguely aware of being punched through several walls and into the grounds outside before finally coming to a halt as he crashed into a large boulder hard enough to crack it.

"That was incredible..." Lucy breathed in awe, but blinked as she took in the massive destruction the attack had left in its wake, "I think you might've overdone it though!"

Natsu glanced over his shoulder and gave her a happy grin, "Yeah probably." He chuckled, "But it got the job done right?"

Lucy laughed a little and shook her head, "I suppose it did."

He abruptly yawned, "Man, that attack takes it out of me though."

Lucy frowned a little, "Maybe you should sit down for a little bit? You don't look so good."

"Nah, I'll be alright." He waved despite the fact his knees looked like they were about to buckle.

Lucy opened her mouth to protest only for a bit of movement to catch her attention. She gasped as she caught sight of the crazy looking blond Natsu had been fighting first climbing out of the rubble with a murderous look in his eyes. In a flash she had her bow up and pulled taut as she summoned her arrows.

"Don't move!" She ordered as she fired, ignoring Natsu's very surprised expression.

Natsu was the very picture of a statue as the arrows whizzed by him, their target seemingly just behind him.

There was a soft _whump_! A yelp of pain, a hard _thud_ , and a moment later Natsu turned to see Zancrow spread out in front of him, drooling and knocked totally on his ass. He hadn't even noticed him.

He shot a bright grin at Lucy, hopping forward a bit to jump next to her, "Thanks for the save Lucy! Man, I can't believe he almost got the drop on me like that."

"You're welcome," Lucy smiled at him, ignoring his curious looks at her weapon. Not that she blamed him, bows weren't exactly the most common weapon even if many people still preferred them to guns.

"You completely knocked Hades out Natsu," Lucy glanced to where he was sprawled out on his back, "I don't think we're going to be getting any information from him."

She sighed and glanced backwards at him, "I don't suppose you were able to find anything out about your brother's, were you?"

Natsu's expression sobered immediately, "No." He growled irritably, "Bastard never said a thing."

No, all he'd done was laugh and taunt him about how he'd never see his brothers again.

Lucy put a hand on his shoulder, instantly distracting him from the darker turn his thoughts had been about to take, "C'mon." She said softly, "Let's get these two tied up and go find my dad."

Natsu looked over at her, concern in his eyes, "Luce..." He hesitated, "Was your dad... um..."

"No." Lucy replied, relief pouring through her as the word left her lips and she was finally able to voice the reality, "Dad was working with sheriff Fernandez. It was all a setup to get him to confess to what he's been doing with Heartfilia Rails."

Natsu blinked for a moment and a broad, relieved, grin crossed his face, "Hey, that's great!" He replied enthusiastically, "If he was workin' with the sheriff then he's probably gonna survive whatever happens!"

"I hope so!" Lucy replied fervently, a small smile curling her lips as she released her stardress and summoned Virgo.

When Virgo appeared, she looked curiously at their surroundings and cocked her head. Her fingers smoothed over her dress and blinked at Lucy.

"Princess, you have been punishing many people lately," Virgo observed.

Lucy cleared her throat, somewhat awkwardly at the knowing look on Virgo's face, as if she were insinuating it was something she enjoyed.

"Will you tie them up for us Virgo, nice and tight. We can't have them slithering off," She gave them a severe glare, despite the fact they weren't awake to see it.

Virgo nodded and left to get to work while Natsu and Lucy went to find Jude.

Perhaps unexpectedly, he hadn't actually wandered too far off from the battle, his stubbornness seeing him close enough to the action to help direct the local authorities back to Hades' blown apart estate.

"Papa," Lucy said in exasperation, unable to stop the faint smile on her face when she saw her father, covered in soot and ash, shoving his way through the crowd back to her.

Natsu discreetly took a step back as Lucy flung her arms around her father. He averted his eyes from the private moment, thinking they needed at least a semblance of privacy.

"What exactly did you get yourself into!" Lucy exclaimed at her father, who pulled apart and gave her a very stern look.

"I could ask you the same thing Lucy," Jude raised an eyebrow at her, and then cast a glance over at Natsu. His clothes were still slowly smoldering away and he hadn't yet noticed.

"Did you really think I wouldn't know something was going on in my own train lines?" He grunted at Lucy, looking a touch offended, "I just had to gather enough information to determine who was using the rails as a smuggling station, and then get them to confess to it."

Lucy gaped at him and flushed a little in embarrassment, "I..."

Jude sighed a little, "We are going to have to sit down and have a long talk I think." He told her, a small smile belying his gruff tone, "It seems you're getting into more trouble than you should be."

Lucy's cheeks burned a little more, but she smiled back, "Yeah."

Jude chuckled a little and turned his attention to Natsu. He studied the scruffy looking wizard closely for a moment.

"I would be particularly interested in knowing how my daughter came to be mixed up with one of the infamous Slayers. That's bound to be quite an interesting tale." The sound of hooves pounding the dirt cut off anything else he had to say.

"Lord Heartfilia!" One of the men called, and Lucy caught a glint of metal on his lapel, "Are you alright sir?"

"We're fine." Jude replied authoritatively, "However, we discovered Mister Gaebolg and at least some of his associates are wizards."

"We'll hold 'em sir." The man replied, eyeing the way they were tied up with curiosity, and gestured to his deputies.

Jude nodded approvingly and looked back at Lucy expectantly.

Lucy sighed a little, "This is going to take a while to explain." She told him, and glanced at Natsu, "I think we should probably relocate back to base and explain everything there."

Natsu eyed Jude for a long moment before nodding. He wasn't entirely sure about the human, but he _was_ Lucy's father, and effectively the drake of her nest. He supposed he owed it to the man to explain what they'd been doing.

Of course he _was_ tense at the idea of Jude knowing precisely who he was, tempted to run out while he still had the chance or opportunity.

He strangled back the impulse and backed away, jerking his head for them to follow him so he could lead them to where they could find Happy.

Once they were a far enough distance away, Natsu let out a piercing sounding whistle, causing his horse to gallop towards them where he had been resting in the shade.

Natsu growled happily at his horse, clicking his tongue affectionately at the and dipping in his singed pocket for a bit of grain for his horse to snack on.

"Smart creature," Jude observed.

"His name is Happy," Natsu replied, shooting Jude a cautious look over his shoulder. His eyes narrowed and he huffed when he turned away.

"Don't mind Natsu papa," Lucy touched a hand to her father's shoulder, "He's crabby, but he'll warm up. We believe Hades might have been responsible for kidnapping his family, and we were hoping to find some answers here."

"Hades?"

"Precht." Lucy replied in explanation, "He's also known as Hades."

"I see." Jude mused and eyed Happy for a moment, "As smart as your horse appears to be, I'm not certain he'll be capable of carrying all three of us. To that end why don't we have the explanations here?"

He leaned back against a rock and eyed the pair expectantly.

Lucy nodded, "Alright... this starts back two months ago..."

She explained everything from her first encounter with Natsu, a story that had Jude glaring balefully at the pink haired bandit, to the situation with Everlu and how things had unraveled from there.

"I didn't say anything about it because I knew you wouldn't approve of me helping a bandit, but after what happened to Natsu I couldn't just stand by either." She shook her head, "And after the party when we found out that Hades was working for Zeref or someone claiming to be Zeref I knew it was a powder keg just waiting to explode in your face. I wanted to find a way around that."

Jude studied his daughter for a long moment and nodded thoughtfully, "And you didn't know how far the corruption went." He said with surprising gentleness, "For all you knew I was aware of it."

Lucy blushed and looked down, "Papa I..."

"It's alright Lucy." Jude interrupted, "I can't say I entirely approve of your methods, not the least of which because it nearly destroyed a year's worth of investigation and work, but I can't fault you for your actions either."

"A year!" Natsu burst, his eyes going wide in shock. He was somewhat alarmed by the length of time Hades' work had gone unnoticed for. And to an extent, there was no telling precisely how long that really was.

Especially since that was just how long ago it took for Jude to realize what was happening.

"I'm afraid so, he was very thorough to hide his tracks, I doubt you'll be able to get much out of him once he comes around," Jude frowned and gave Natsu a severe look, "That doesn't mean _I_ was completely fruitless in my efforts to investigate him this past year. I came upon many leads, several of which didn't make any sense to me."

"But perhaps since we're mages, we'll be able to piece together some clues!" Lucy finished, her cheeks flushing with hope.

Jude nodded while Natsu's eyes widened with hope.

"Most of the research I was able to determine took place in Hargeon. Lucy overhead quite a bit of it as that seems to be where he did much of his human trafficking since shipments from Bosco come in by ferry or boat," Jude explained.

"His involvement with Zeref was news to me, up until now I believed he was working alone," Jude sighed in frustration, "What I _do_ know though, is that many of the shipments of people were split down the middle for construction sites at separate locations. One looked to a ship field, and the other to a remote location in the desert."

He frowned and shook his head, "I was never able to find the exact location, but from what I could determine, much of the cargo miraculously 'disappeared' somewhere east of Crocus."

Lucy frowned, "East of Crocus is still a lot of territory. But we may be able to get a better lead in Harjeon."

A slightly pained look crossed Jude's face, "Promise me you'll at least _try_ to be careful?" He pleaded, "Please?"

Lucy looked at her father and stepped forward to pull him into a tight hug, "I know it's dangerous papa." She murmured into his shirt, "But I have to do this. I promised Natsu I would help him find his family. And it's the right thing."

Jude hugged her back just as tightly for a long moment and sighed, "Are you sure he's worth it?" He asked softly, ignoring Natsu's affronted look.

Lucy smiled a little as she pulled back enough to look at him, "He is." She replied, "Natsu and his family may be thieves, but they've never hurt anyone, and in a way they didn't really have a choice." She sighed a little at her father's confused look, "They're different. Their magic is rare and very powerful and you know there are people who would use and take advantage of that. Just like Hades has by taking his brothers."

"Natsu and his family never really had a chance to be anything else. How could they when they were forced to be on the run all the time to protect themselves?" She held up her hand, displaying her guild mark, "If Fairy Tail is about second chances, how could I do anything less than my best to give them their chance?"

"And if they refuse?" Jude asked, his concern for her clear, "What then?"

Lucy shrugged, "That would be their choice. It's one I hope they don't make, but it's still their choice."

Unspoken was the implication that if they made that choice then she would see the law followed its course. But by the softening look on her father's face he hadn't missed it. He smiled at Lucy and nodded, relieved that he hadn't lost his daughter to bandits. He just hoped she could succeed in her goal. The last thing he wanted was her heartbroken, and he'd seen from the start that she was very sweet on Natsu.

Whether she knew it or not was debatable, but he was her father. He would protect her to the best of his ability, and if necessary be there to help her pick up the pieces.

Natsu felt his gut twist with discomfort, the idea of second chances seeming too good and unreal.

Was Lucy really holding out hope that he and his brothers would join a guild one day?

Natsu had to admit... the thought wasn't unpleasant. While their nest would always be insular and resistant to change, they wouldn't have even been in the situation they were in now if there were enough of them.

They needed protection. Even if it just meant grater numbers surrounded them. The only concern Natsu had was their father.

As bandits they went outside of the law. They stole keys from celestial wizards that weren't worthy of them to amass enough of that magic to try and get to the celestial realm.

They were determined to find their father by any means necessary. And that just wasn't possible when they were part of a guild...

He liked Lucy. He really did. She was a good queen, and a natural born leader. Her heart was strong and always willing to do the right thing so long as her conscious allowed it.

Natsu felt his heart clench, hard in his chest as he realized as soon as he found his brothers again... his time with Lucy would be cut abruptly short.

They would return to their totally separate lives.

It was a thought to be pursued at a later time. Especially since there was a stubborn part of him that was digging its heels into the dirt and refusing to part with the idea of being away from her like that. It was resistant to cutting her out of their lives, vehemently.

Trying not to show how Lucy's words had shaken him, he glanced over at Jude. The man seemed to see right through him even if his partner didn't, and Natsu raised his chin.

"I'll keep her safe sir," He grunted.

* * *

 **Since you guys KILLED your review count, here's your sneak peek! Hahahahaha, man you guys were so funny though. I loved watching all of offended screeches over Jude. That was even funnier than you guys thinking he was evil! Man, that was wonderful! We'll see you all on Wednesday! :'D I'll get Samhain up soon!**

* * *

 _"I'm glad they're all okay," Acnologia murmured, surprised to find he even genuinely meant it. If Anna's family could escape what they had planned, he hoped they would._

 _"Me too, but you needn't worry. Jude had Lucy helping him and apparently she brought along her suitor, the one I told you about," Anna smiled at the paper, "Jude doesn't approve."_

 _Feeling somewhat defensive for his little brother despite never having met him, Acnologia squared his shoulders._

 _"Why not?" The runt was a dragon wasn't he? He better not have besmirched their reputation. Acnologia frowned in surprise and shook off the thought before it could take hold._

 _"I doubt anyone would be good for his little girl," Anna said in amusement. She rested a hand in her cheek, eyes growing misty, "to be young again."_

 _Acnologia snorted at that and leaned back in his chair, arms crossing over his chest, "You're hardly a fossil ma'am."_

 _Anna hummed in amusement at his flat tone but shook her head, "true but I'm hardly getting younger. Especially since I'm past marriageable age and I don't have much to trade for my hand."_

 _Acnologia raised an incredulous eyebrow at her, "You're joking right?" He rolled his eyes at her startled expression, "You're a successful business woman in your own right miss Anna, an' just because you're over thirty doesn't make you an old hag."_

 _He snorted contemptuously, "You've got plenty of child bearin' years ahead if that's what you want. And you're pretty enough that finding someone shouldn't be hard." He shrugged, "That seems pretty attractive to me."_


	22. Get the Mitten

**Yo it's Mslead for your Wednesday update! It's an important chapter this time around :D Pay attention my children!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 22**

 _ **Get the Mitten  
**_ _to be rejected by a lover._

* * *

Acnologia smiled a little as he sipped at his tea. It had been a little over a week since he'd settled down to wait for Anna's niece to come back, and he couldn't say it had been completely tedious. Anna was more intelligent than his initial assessment had led him to believe, and despite the way she acted a little fluttery on occasion, she was as sharp as splintered glass.

As she'd proved so abundantly when she'd calmly, and repeatedly, trounced him in both cribbage and chess on his second visit.

It had been... interesting to be humbled by the queen who was so much more than she appeared. He had to wonder if she cultivated her appearance on purpose.

If so, it must be a devastating weapon when she chose.

"Good news?" He rumbled as she read the letter that had come a few minutes ago. Despite himself he was actually curious. Especially if it meant news on Lucy.

Anna didn't respond immediately as she stared at the pages in shock, "Oh my!" She breathed, "I don't even know where to start!"

Acnologia's ears perked at that. Good news or bad that had to be very interesting news. He merely raised an amused eyebrow at her however, "The beginning is usually a good place."

Anna shot him a mock scowl as she sat back in her chair, "It seems Lucy's trip has been extended. She's met some interesting wizards and is trying to recruit them to Fairy Tail. But my brother-in-law's been getting into even more trouble."

Acnologia very much wanted to ask more about the niece, but couldn't come up with a feasible enough reason to pursue that topic when she supplied it with talk of her brother in law.

He was a bit aggravated to have to do the run around, but couldn't help but be a little curious despite himself. Anna, as far as humans went, was interesting company.

"What kind of trouble can a railroad businessman get involved with?" Acnologia asked, still a bit amused by Anna's false scowls. It was like a hatchling trying to growl at him, cute.

"I'm not thinkin' he runs with many bad crowds," he cocked his head at her.

Anna shook her head, "He doesn't, but supposedly he ran into some trouble after all. One of his partners, mister Gaebolg is a dark wizard who goes by Hades. Magnolias sheriff should be bringing him in soon for questioning."

"A dark wizard was caught by a businessman?" Acnologia asked, his mind racing in a hundred directions. Hades was going to be in this very town soon and put over hot rocks until he talked. Who knew how much he already had revealed?

Acnologia had to know if his identity was compromised. Especially before word got back around from Anna's brother or niece, much less the _sheriff_.

Anna scowled for real this time, "It seems _Hades_ was smuggling _people_ on Jude's railroads." She replied furiously, "He was using that Bora scum Lucy captured to do it. Jude found out about it, but he didn't have all the proof he needed for a whole year."

Acnologia bit back a curse. That was not good. It wasn't damning, but it wasn't good either. If they'd discovered this much then there was the potential, however slight, that they could fill in whatever gaps the investigation had left.

"So how's that translate to bringin' him down?" He asked with real interest and badly concealed anger. Fortunately Anna didn't take it the wrong way. She probably thought he was angry over the crimes.

Anna snorted, "He enlisted the help of Magnolia's sheriff is how." She replied, a proud smirk curling her lips, "Sheriff Jellal outfitted him with a lacrima and he marched right into Hades' manor to get a confession."

Damnit... the whole fucking family was dangerous.

Acnologia honestly wasn't sure what was worse right now. The celestial magic wielding daughter with a rebellious streak. The father who was far too clever and observant. Or Anna herself, who was clearly kept up to date on all the latest family information, and could put connections together with terrifying ease.

Granted neither Anna nor her brother-in-law could wield magic, but he was starting to think perhaps it didn't matter. They were frightening without it.

He had to wonder then just how dangerous Lucy really was as she was _surely_ a combination of her aunt and father plus whatever her mother had been like. The thought actually sent a shiver up his spine.

Although if his little brother was traveling with her, it certainly made sense. Anna was making it clear that her niece was very close to his brother given the information she was provided. She shared her enthusiasm with Acnologia over how Lucy was finally seeming to find love for herself.

It was almost touching to see them care for one another the way they had. Once upon a time he had been the same way.

He would do anything to bring his nest back.

"I'm glad they're all okay," Acnologia murmured, surprised to find he even genuinely meant it. If Anna's family could escape what they had planned, he hoped they would.

"Me too, but you needn't worry. Jude had Lucy helping him and apparently she brought along her suitor, the one I told you about," Anna smiled at the paper, "Jude doesn't approve."

Feeling somewhat defensive for his little brother despite never having met him, Acnologia squared his shoulders.

"Why not?" The runt was a dragon wasn't he? He better not have besmirched their reputation. Acnologia frowned in surprise and shook off the thought before it could take hold.

"I doubt anyone would be good for his little girl," Anna said in amusement. She rested a hand in her cheek, eyes growing misty, "to be young again."

Acnologia snorted at that and leaned back in his chair, arms crossing over his chest, "You're hardly a fossil ma'am."

Anna hummed in amusement at his flat tone but shook her head, "true but I'm hardly getting younger. I'm past marriageable age and I don't have much to trade for my hand."

Acnologia raised an incredulous eyebrow at her, "You're joking right?" He rolled his eyes at her startled expression, "You're a successful business woman in your own right miss Anna, an' just because you're over thirty doesn't make you an old hag."

He snorted contemptuously, "You've got plenty of child bearin' years ahead if that's what you want. And you're pretty enough that finding someone shouldn't be hard." He shrugged, "That seems attractive to me."

Anna stared at him, caught somewhere between surprise and a darkening blush. Did he even _know_ what he'd just said? Sure, she'd known she was still attractive, Heartfilia women traditionally aged very well, and she was ten years younger than Layla had been, but she'd never really thought about it.

Once she'd hit twenty-five the suitors had dwindled down to nothing, not that she'd been interested in those slobbering pigs anyway, and she'd resigned herself to being the old maiden aunt to her niece.

Never had she expected anyone to say she was worthy of a husband and family now, at her age.

She'd expected such a simple, and honest, statement even less.

Could it mean he might be interested in the attractive picture of her he'd just painted? Her heart thumped a little excitedly at the thought. Acnologia was a very interesting man. He was rough in many ways, and had a clear dislike for most people, but he was well educated and had proved very interesting to talk to.

Maybe he wasn't always exactly polite, but he was never harsh or mean with her. And he _had_ been coming around a lot the past few days despite saying he was just passing through. Maybe...?

"Women are worth more than their age, wealth or looks," Acnologia glanced at the window, his gaze flashing away from her. It always seemed silly to him that humans put such stock into what equated to meaningless trivialities.

Sure, some were nice. But the content of the person's heart, their fortitude, and their willingness to protect their nest was what was truly important.

Their capacity for love.

It was a novel, and somewhat romantic thought. It wasn't one he particularly believed in anymore but even he had to admit it was nice to believe in.

His gaze flashed back to Anna, pinning her down with his stare. She wasn't particularly strong, but she was smart and he knew she would do anything for her family.

From the small moments they were together, he knew without a doubt she would lay across a bog for them.

"'M not the smartest fella out in the west Miss Anna, but you're a queen among the crowd and they're fools if they can't see it," he said softly.

Anna's cheeks flushed darkly, but she smiled a little shyly at him, "And you're no fool." She replied eyeing him carefully, "Does that mean you're interested in this queen?"

The question had been asked softly, but the look in her eyes was intent. Despite her surprise over the compliment she was nobody's fool either. She'd been burned before, and while she wasn't exactly wary she wasn't going to blindly trust her heart again either.

At least that was what she tried to tell herself.

In reality she suspected she'd already fallen for the rugged Acnologia. It was kind of hard not to really. Anyone would be attracted to a body like he sported, but Anna had been enthralled by his mind. The sharp cunning in his words were even more enticing.

She had the amusing satisfaction of watching him choke a little on his drink and blink at her as if he'd never seen her before.

"Ah... um... that is..." He spluttered a little incoherently.

Anna watched him for a moment before huffing, and prayed she wasn't making a horrendous mistake as she leaned over and lightly kissed him on the lips.

He sat there, frozen in shock, as she did, but the moment she started to pull away she could've sworn she heard a growl as he reached out and pulled her back to him. He rubbed his hand along her cheek for a moment before leaning in and capturing her lips with a pent up passion that bordered on ferocity and melted her insides.

Anna gasped into his mouth, hands falling forward to brace at his broad shoulders. She tumbled almost out of her chair at the strength he had, but found herself very secure in his grasp.

Acnologia had sharp teeth, and they nicked at her bottom lip that left her breath hitching in the back of her throat. She sighed into the kiss, sinking into his chest and sliding her arms around him.

He robbed her of her senses as his lips found hers again and again, only pausing to take the briefest gasps of air. Anna's fingers curled into his shirt, right over his breast pocket.

His body was hard against hers, but everything about the way he touched or kissed her made her head grow a little lighter.

Her hand flattened against his chest, feeling a curious vibration through him. She wasn't interested in investigating it though, far too enraptured by his sultry caresses, soft as the finest velvet.

When they finally pulled away, Acnologia's eyes were hazy. His chest heaved as he watched her perched against him.

They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity as they caught their breath. Neither moving, and hardly able to comprehend what had happened.

Anna felt her heart pounding as she stared into his blue eyes. For the first time she noticed his eyes were slit pupiled, but that didn't bother her any. She'd long ago learned how to recognize a wizard, and had figured out on their second day what he was.

She stared, transfixed, at the heat smoldering in his unusual eyes and shifted her hand from his shirt to gently trail her fingers down his face, absently tracing his exotic looking tattoos as she did. The movement seemed to jolt him out of whatever daze he'd been in and she smiled a little as she watched the sense start to come back to him.

"Acc-" She began, but was immediately cut off as he gently pushed her back a little. Worry immediately overtook her. Had she done something wrong? Did he regret it? She couldn't imagine how he could. There was no way anyone who kissed like that could be faking anything. Though, she supposed, that didn't necessarily mean he didn't regret it.

Her worried confusion skittered to an abrupt halt, however, as he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers.

"Take that look off your face." He growled softly, rough, as if he was having a hard time restraining himself, "It doesn't belong there."

"But..." She started only for him to press his lips hungrily against hers again, though it was depressingly brief.

"It don't belong there." He repeated, his arms wrapped tightly around her as he helped her stand and got up, "But I don't either."

"Acnologia, I don't understand." She replied in confusion and he sighed and he grabbed his hat and shoved it back on his head.

"I can't Anna." He rumbled, and she could see him shaking lightly, "I want to. More'n anything. But I can't." He pinned her with his intense gaze, "There's things you don't know about me. Things I can't tell ya." He paused and blew out a frustrated breath, "I've got unfinished business I gotta take care of first."

Anna studied him for a long moment, and raised her chin, "And after you've finished your business?" She demanded, somewhat archly, "What then?"

Acnologia smirked and a moment later he had her pressed against the wall as he captured her lips once more, his body pressing firmly against hers.

"I'll tell ya everything." He growled into her ear between kisses, "An' if you don't go screamin' for the hills I'll make you my queen."

His body screamed at him to do it now. It had been so long since he'd had a queen in his arms, and none had been half as special as Anna. He ached painfully for her, but he couldn't give her what he wanted to so badly. What she so thoroughly deserved.

Because in truth, he didn't deserve to make such claims. Not with what he was planning. Not with what may happen to her niece. He was playing a dangerous game, one that could not end well for Anna should she remain close to him.

He never thought he would become smitten with a human - not when they had destroyed so much of his family, but perhaps he took more after his father than he thought.

Getting wrapped up in a Heartfilia woman was dangerous to say the least.

Could he love this woman? Was it possible for him to love a human? He didn't think so, but there he was... speaking softly to her, touching her...

...kissing her.

Was this even a distraction he could afford to allow himself?

His eyes closed as her arms drew around him, sucking him in far deeper than he expected to go.

"I don't scare easily," Anna murmured back to him, "But I can't give my heart to a man who keeps secrets in his, so when you're ready to show all you'll know where to find me."

Acnologia nodded against her and despite his own thoughts and doubts held her tight for a long moment before he reluctantly pulled away. He gave her one last, lingering, look before turning and heading out the door and away.

He paused again to look back and shook his head as he rounded a shadowed corner and melted into the shadows there.

He didn't have time for this.

It didn't matter how magnificent a queen Anna was, or could be. He couldn't, wouldn't, do this. He had other things to do. Like deal with that idiot Hades before he talked too much.

He felt a small surge of sympathy for his little brother though. It was little wonder the runt was being led around by his nose hairs. Heartfilia women were impossible to resist.

It was probably what made them so dangerous.

He would have to tread very carefully with Anna's niece. Very carefully indeed.

-::-

The memory of Anna's sweet touch and even sweeter kisses lingered as Acnologia stalked towards the sheriff's office. He was taking care to stay concealed and he wasn't fool enough to be careless. This particular lawman and his deputies were somewhat famous for being wizards powerful enough to join any guild they wanted. There was no way he was taking any chances around them.

His patience was rewarded as towards sunset a cluster of people riding closely around a paddywagon showed up. All but one were lawmen, and he swore a little to himself as he caught sight of one of Hades' insane minions. He'd always felt that like that particular blond lunatic was an accident waiting to happen, and it looked like that assumption had proven correct.

That would complicate things for certain. Though not unduly given the level of beating he could see on both prisoners.

A small smirk curled his lips. It seemed his little brother wasn't useless at fighting at least. That was good to know. He would've been pissed if his siblings had proved weak.

It seemed that both men had done something to warrant a lashing on that level though, and Acnologia crept along to better observe the proceedings.

The two chained men were dragged outside their traveling prison, Acnologia eyeing it with distaste. Would humans ever stop coming up with fiendish traps? He scowled, ignoring the lurch of his stomach when they stumbled towards the station. Flitting after them, but taking care to keep himself from sight, Acnologia hesitated by a window where he could better see Magnolias sheriff shaking hands with another man wearing that annoying star badge.

The blue haired sheriff gave the other man a small smile and a clap to his shoulder, his eyes sliding towards the window Acnologia crouched behind.

He stiffened, his fingers curling into a fist. The local sheriff was renown for his strength, but Acnologia wasn't easily cowed. He would have preferred to stay under the radar though, it was less messy that way.

And Anna…

Acnologia's eyes narrowed, shoving thoughts of the distracting woman from his mind.

Now was _not_ the time!

Especially not with the sheriff's steady gaze fixated right where he was hiding.

"Sheriff Fernandez, if I could get a word before me and my boys go takin' off?" the other male beckoned his attention, and snapped his attention from where Acnologia hid.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, he slipped into the station undetected, creeping through the back rooms where he found a man sitting with his back turned to him. He had an odd clashing of black and white hair, his whole posture slack over what appeared to be a lacrima.

He hadn't noticed Acnologia standing behind him just out of sight.

" _Midnight! Wake up! You can't just call me and take a nap!"_ An irritated, disembodied voice snapped from the lacrima.

" _Sis please, he's lookin' awful tired,"_ a gentler voice floated from the same mouthpiece.

" _I won't be havin' you sway my sweet, baby sister to your side Midnight! I know darn well you don't have ever a bleary eye! Now wake up,"_ The first woman raged again, this time stirring a drowsy response.

"Alright, alright, keep yer hair on Sorano," The man called Midnight grumbled.

 _"Now what's so important you had t' call now?"_ Sorano growled, looking somewhat irritated over Midnight's attitude.

Midnight snorted and stretched, "Just callin' to tell ya Jellal busted Gaebolg." He drawled in reply, "Heartfilia came to him an' offered his help. Seems the whole thing was a hell of a lot bigger than we expected though. Boss says you need to come back in. We're gonna need the backup."

Acnologia couldn't see the woman's face in the lacrima, which was just as well all things considered, but he didn't have to. He could practically hear her crossing her arms and scowling at her fellow deputy.

 _"The hell kinda mess is going on over there?"_ She demanded, _"He was shady, but we didn't flag him as needing backup."_

Midnight shrugged, almost indifferently, "Turns out Gaebolg is really Hades."

 _"What?"_ The woman yelped, _"How the hell did we miss that?"_

"Turns out he never did any magic at home." Midnight replied, a hint of implacable hate creeping into his voice, "And between that and his habit of havin' wizards over for jobs it was easy for him to hide."

 _"So how'd we find out?"_ Sorano paused, _"Heartfilia isn't dead is he?"_

Midnight shook his head, "Naw, but if his daughter and some brat named Natsu hadn't been there he would've been." He smirked, "You should see the beating they got. It's beautiful." He shrugged a little again, "But anyway, Jellal wants you back in. He thinks it's gonna get real hot soon."

 _"It's just a shame I wasn't able to give him one myself,"_ came Sorano's growl. It was smothered a bit by a sigh of resignation.

 _"I don't suppose it'll be matterin' much, Lil' Yuki and I are headin' back to Magnolia anyway with a couple of wanderers we found in the desert,"_ Sorano explained, _"Turns out they have someone huntin' them who claims to be Zeref."_

Up until that point, Acnologia had only been listening with half an ear to the door, but at the mention of not only one, but three of his brothers he stopped breathing.

There were several things coming into play at once. The female deputy had his brothers and was returning to her station while the fire brat continued to travel with the younger Heartfilia. If his smoky scent clinging to the house hadn't been a giveaway before, this clinched it.

 _"I don't like how the blond one has been eyeing my sister either,"_ Sorano growled in the background, barely registering in Acnologia's thoughts.

"You don't like how anyone eyes Lil' Yuki," Midnight drawled with bored affection, his voice growing distant as Acnologia began to creep away. He had heard enough.

He wondered where his metal brother and sky sister were at the moment, but suspected they would regroup with the fire brat soon enough. Until that happened, he had to bide his time in Magnolia.

But before then...

Hades.

* * *

 **We had a lot of interesting comments this time around. Some of you guys... lol are entertaining to say the least! Kytrin and I were laughing while we were at work over those comments. Pfffff! To those who asked, 30 reviews equals a sneak peek! Congrats on getting it again guys! You are on a roll!**

* * *

 _"Even if we don't know how to find them, we know how to stop them," Lucy gave the two bandits a wide smile._

 _"Wha?" Natsu cottoned on quickly, his lips curling into a grin. A glimmer of amusement flashed in his eyes._

 _"You still on about that plan for us to hit the train blondie?" Gajeel asked, looking somewhat impressed she was willing to follow through with the idea she concocted in their kitchen. It felt like ages ago._

 _Lucy lifted her chin, a smug smile on her face._

 _"Why not? You all hit trains anyway, it's hardly unusual for that to happen, especially when it's hard enough to warrant the attention of the magic knights," Lucy smirked._

 _"Gutsy Luce." Natsu purred excitedly, "You think it'd work?"_

 _"Definitely." Lucy replied, trying not to shiver at Natsu's tone, "If we can get definite proof of what they're doing then we can get the magic knights officially involved."_


	23. See How The Cat Jumps

**Okay guys! Kytrin here with your new chapter of Wild Aces! If you've already seen my A/N on the new Samhain chapter then I'll warn you now there'll be some repeats at the end. For now, enjoy your chapter!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 23**

 _ **See How The Cat Jumps**_

 _A metaphorical expression meaning, to discover the secrets or designs of others._

* * *

It was a blessed mercy the sheriffs had decided on separate cells. Hades wasn't sure he could deal with Zancrow's incessant chattering on top of their current predicament.

The fire dragon's strength had been astonishing, and coupled with that meddlesome Heartfilia family, it had been a frustrating day. To say the least.

Hades made a noise of irritation, if that Heartfilia girl hadn't decided to poke her nose into his business with her little pet, then they wouldn't have been in the situation they found themselves in.

Still, despite this setback, it wasn't too late. They would soon be found by his Lord Zeref.

For now, they just had to keep their mouths shut and wait for the rescue of their comrades. Hades' good eye narrowed on the adjoining wall, where Zancrow was cackling quiet things to himself. No doubt he was plotting an angry revenge against the fire dragon.

At least that was what Hades presumed until Zancrow fell silent suddenly. An oppressing flare of magic loomed over him, and Hades suddenly realized he wasn't as alone as he thought he was.

Sure enough, a large figure walked with slow, deliberate steps right in front of his cell. The barred gate swung open, and the man ducked in.

His face was in shadow save for a stripe of moonlight glowing over an ominously tattooed face.

"Acnologia," Hades breathed, "That was quick."

The dragon in question was not one he was particularly fond of. He never so much as spared a friendly look in Hades' direction, his cold eyes fierce on anyone who even dared to glance at him.

Often Hades felt like he was under the hungry, furious gaze of a predator.

"I was around," Acnologia's short response came as he advanced forward, "You getting caught wasn't part of the plan."

Hades scowled, "It would've been fine if the Heartfilia wench and her pet dragon hadn't started poking their noses in where it didn't belong!"

"Heh, that's not how I hear it." Acnologia snorted quietly, though there was no humor in it, "From what I overheard you screwed up. Badly." His expression darkened, "The Heartfilia family isn't one to be messed with lightly. They've always carried a great deal of power and the centuries have only honed that."

"What are you talking about?" Hades demanded irritably, "I'll grant the girl got lucky, but she's only a child. The only truly unfortunate part was she involved her father and kept it quiet."

Acnologia barely refrained from rolling his eyes, "You're an idiot." He growled bluntly, "Lucy Heartfilia should've been silenced the moment you knew she'd learned anything. Her father alone was bad enough. The last thing you needed was one of the women sniffin' around! Just how safe are thinkin' the plan will be now that the family's on alert and you've got Fernandez workin' with them?"

"They won't find anything." Hades snorted dismissively, "By now my men will have hidden everything-"

He trailed off with a gurgled gasp as Acnologia snaked a hand between the bars and grabbed him by the shirt to pull him close.

"Stupid!" The dragon hissed furiously, giving Hades a hard little shake, "My brother is with her! And they're cooperatin'!" More than that actually if his suspicions were correct, "Do you seriously think your idiotic underlings could hide from his nose?"

Hades leaned his head as far back as Acnologia allowed so his forehead wasn't crushing against the bars.

"I will admit, I wasn't expecting the strength of a dragon to come down on us this evening. I was unprepared," Hades allowed, "And Jude knew far more than I suspected he did. He knew about the trades in Hargeon and I expect his daughter and her pet know by now too."

"But that's where Jude's knowledge broke off!" Hades added cooly at Acnologia's rumbling growl, "It's directionless at best, and puts a train in their sights at worst! None of which can lead back to the airstrip or Zeref."

"Not even a dragon's nose can pick up a scent that light in a crowd so thick," Hades reasoned.

Acnologia bared his fangs, yanking his arm back with enough force to throw Hades headfirst into the bars.

"Yer forgettin' the girl! That Heartfilia is a damned sight cleverer than my brother an' you."

"She won't be havin' a nose to rely on because she's got her smarts, and she's already outwitted you once before," Acnologia growled. His own irritation at letting another Heartfilia woman wriggle under his skin surfacing to the forefront.

"If she earns my brothers loyalty, there ain't a thing he won't do for her. And if she wants to inspect each train or cause a delay, ya better believe he'll lay on the damn tracks themselves if she wanted it," Acnologia snarled.

"These women are dangerous to the plan, and they are getting close thanks to your negligence," He released Hades.

The human stared back at him with a shrewd eye, his eyebrow pulled down to knot near his eyepatch.

"...Heartfilia women?" Hades spoke up quietly, his head cocking at Acnologia's almost careless slip.

"You mean Anna Heartfilia?" Hades asked, drawing in near. The human looked curious despite himself and he couldn't resist the urge to smile, "You've met her?"

Acnologia said nothing, but to Hades that was answer enough.

"What was it you said about winning a dragon's loyalty?" Hades asked softly, "Don't tell me, the Great and Terrible Acnologia is becoming compromised?"

Acnologia's expression darkened with fury for a moment before a smirk curled his lips, "Yes actually." He purred darkly, "Anna Heartfilia is a worthy queen." He sneered at Hades, "Not that you have such concept of that. You humans are incapable of seeing the power contained within your queens, and fail to respect it. That will be your downfall."

He tilted his head slightly, "Not that it will matter either way to you." He murmured lowly, "I cannot permit you to compromise the plan more than you already have."

Hades started to sweat a little at the look in Acnologia's eyes, but narrowed his eyes, "What are you talking about?" He demanded, "You just admitted you yourself were compromised."

"Unfortunately, that's irrelevant to you." Acnologia replied calmly, "I will not allow my regard for Anna Heartfilia to stop me from saving my nest. You, on the other hand, have endangered that goal, and you will continue to endanger it for as long as you live."

"Wait..." Hades gasped as the shadows around him began to darken and creep up around him. Shadows completely unlike the ones he was capable of creating. Ones that weren't hindered in the slightest by the magic dampening cuffs on his wrists.

"You can't do this!" He exclaimed, "I'm a loyal follower of Lord Zeref! My power is required!"

"You're a lowly worm that has outlived it's usefulness." Acnologia growled as he slipped into the shadows and materialized inside the cell behind Hades.

Hades had one moment to look over his shoulder in fear before the shadows closed in around him and muffled screaming was all that could be heard from within the darkness.

When the shadows retreated from Hades body and he dropped dead to the floor, neither the signs of Acnologia or his magic remained.

The only thought Acnologia had, as he left the two dead bodies behind in the sheriff's station, was that he had to inform their men in Hargeon to expect visitors.

He just had to ensure that Anna's niece made it out unscathed.

-::-

"Are we there yet?" Natsu all but sobbed on the floor of the train as it slowed into the station. He didn't even seem to realize it stopped.

Lucy snorted and nudged him with the toe of her boot.

"Yes you big ol' bad dragon, we're here," Lucy swept down and hooked her arms under his to haul him upright. It took a considerable amount of effort, he was all heavy muscle and dead weight.

If she hadn't seen it for herself, twice, she would have never believed the loud and energetic Natsu could be reduced to a puddle of vomit and tears.

"This was awful," He croaked, managing to get a leg under his body enough to help Lucy leverage him upright.

"This was also your idea," Lucy reminded him, pressing a hand against his chest to keep him up.

He only burped in response and made a miserable noise.

Once he stumbled off the train though, the color immediately began to return to his cheeks, his tired eyes starting to brighten.

Lucy had to admit they were right to take the train. Otherwise they would have run Happy ragged to get there.

"It's about time y'all got here," A rough voice greeted them from the platform.

They both looked up to catch sight of Gajeel's looming figure standing head and shoulders above the crowd. Beside him, and much smaller, was Levy.

She waved happily for their attention and Lucy smiled.

"Levy!" She exclaimed in delight and rushed over to greet her friend happily, "I've missed you!" She glanced up and down at Levy's new clothes and grinned, "You look good!"

Levy blushed a bit and grinned back, "Thanks. The big lug here insisted that my regular clothes needed replacing after so much time traveling." She tugged a little at one of her sleeves and leaned in, "I don't think that's really true. A little mendin' would fix it, but he wouldn't listen."

"I've noticed they tend not to when they get an idea in their heads." Lucy laughed, admiring her friend's new shirt with the funny detached sleeves, "I'm curious where you got your shirt though. It's really pretty."

Natsu and Gajeel exchanged smirks as the two queens chattered about Levy's new clothes. It was a sight that set their instincts purring happily. If the queens were happy then the nest was strong and healthy. Though that warm feeling in Natsu's gut didn't stop him from sidling closer to Gajeel with a wicked smirk.

"Buyin' her clothes now huh?" He cackled, his voice low but dripping with mirth, "You know that could be mistaken for courtin'."

Gajeel shot his little brother a glare, "Shut it runt!" He growled, "It ain't like you got room to talk!"

He crossed his arms, "Her travelin' clothes were gettin' ragged anyway."

"Sure they were." Natsu laughed, "An' the fact she looks cute has nothin' to do with it right?"

His mirth increased at the telltale redness dusting his brother's cheeks, but before he could needle him any more a slim hand reached over and tugged on one of his bangs.

"Lucy!" He whined, "What was that for?"

"You weren't responding to your name." Lucy replied dryly and eyed them warily, "Do I even want to know why you two are over here cackling?"

"I am not cacklin'!" Gajeel grumbled only to pause when Levy giggled and curled her arm around Lucy's.

"Ignore him." She advised her friend cheerfully, "Grumpy is just his natural state of being. C'mon. I'll show you where we're staying. Once you two get cleaned up and settled we can eat and plan."

Lucy for her part was absolutely amazed by the change in Gajeel's attitude. Granted they had been traveling by themselves for a while, but she hadn't expected such a strong alteration.

Still she would take his grumpiness over outright aggression any day.

She ducked her head against Levy's and shot the two dragons prowling behind them an amused look, "What did you do to him?" She stage whispered to Levy.

Levy grinned at the scowl on Gajeel's face, one that did nothing to hide his blush.

"That's quite a long story Lucy," Levy giggled, "Maybe I'll even tell ya 'bout it some day!"

"Tease," Lucy gasped, but rolled her eyes at her friend's secrets, "So have you heard from Erza, Gray and Wendy?"

Levy nodded, "Yes, they're meeting up with us at the next station up. We should be able to meet them after we get done here. They'll meet us at the halfway point."

"So does that mean you two have found something?" Natsu asked brightly, his eyes flashing towards Gajeel.

Gajeel gave a grim nodd, "Based off the information Blondie's pa gave us, yeah. Seems like they're gettin' ready to make a new shipment."

"Damn." Natsu swore angrily, "Do we know when?"

"We're not sure yet." Levy replied, "But we shouldn't talk about it out here anyway. Hades' men have been following us off and on since before we got to Harjeon. There's no telling if they're around."

Lucy glanced around at the crowd warily. None of them really stood out to her, but that didn't necessarily mean anything either. She nodded at Levy as they maneuvered through the crowd, gently curling her hand around Natsu's wrist to keep him from saying anything more. He shot her a rebellious glance, but reluctantly settled down and nodded.

Fortunately, his patience wasn't tested too much as Levy almost immediately rounded a corner and led them to a nice little inn. It wasn't a high class place like Lucy had seen the last time she was in Harjeon, but it wasn't low end either, and she rather liked the hominess it exuded.

"How did you find this place?" She asked curiously as they stepped inside, and Levy's lips twitched.

"I asked Gajeel to follow his nose once we found the right area of town." She admitted wryly, "I figured anyplace that tickled _his_ appetite would probably work."

Natsu snorted, his anger momentarily forgotten, "I'm surprised you didn't lead her to a scrap heap metalhead!"

Gajeel growled, but it was ignored as Levy led them inside and up to the counter.

"Well!" The barkeeper exclaimed in delight, "Welcome back Miss McGarden! Are these the friends you was talkin' about?"

"They are!" Levy replied brightly, "Is that room still available?"

"Of course!" The woman smiled as she handed over a key with a wink, "It's the one directly across from you an' your man darlin'. Same rate as yours too."

"Thank you ma'am!" Levy replied gratefully as she handed Lucy the key, "Could we get dinner up in our room again? We've got private business to talk about."

"Not a problem. I'll take care of it." The woman replied cheerfully, "Just let me know if you need anything else."

"She seemed very nice." Lucy commented as they took their leave and headed upstairs.

"She's got a soft spot for guild wizards." Levy laughed, "She used to be one before she retired to have a family and open this place with her husband."

"Whoa.. I'll say!" Natsu breathed, and the women looked up to find he'd rushed ahead to peek into their room, and was now standing in the doorway slack jawed.

Lucy blinked a little and sighed, not even wanting to know when he'd swiped the key from her.

He grinned and ran ahead, twisting around to flop onto the bed in the center of the room. He didn't seem to care, but Lucy certainly noticed the solitary sleepy arrangements.

"Sorry," Levy's voice came at her elbow, "I know it ain't exactly proper, but we sorta had to fib about our relations otherwise we couldn't get a room."

Not proper was the least of Lucy's problems. After all she had seen Natsu naked as the day he was born already. There was a certain amount of freedom that allowed her to have with her diminishing sense of 'proprietary.'

It was the whole sharing a bed issue that had her stomach tied up in knots.

Natsu wasn't exactly easy temptation to ignore, and she was beginning to think she didn't want to. But that was a problem for later when they were in private.

Gajeel shut the door behind them and crossed his scarred arms over his chest, hat removing from the top of his head. Lucy noticed under his hat he now wore an eerily familiar headband to a certain script mage.

"So you run into any trouble on the way here?" Natsu asked, his arms rolling behind his head. Lucy tugged him off the bed before he could dirty it up with his boots and dust ladened clothes.

"A bit," Gajeel grunted, and rolled his shoulder, "Wasn't relevant though. Just ran into an old friend."

Natsu raised an eyebrow at that, while Levy muttered under her breath.

"Anyway," Gajeel grunted as he hurried to continue, "We heard some news that the shipping containers are due to leave tomorrow night."

"Do we know where?" Lucy asked curiously, but Gajeel shook his head.

"No. The ones we were listenin' to didn't mention that. But you can bet it's gonna be one o' the shippin' warehouses. Ain't no way they'd be able to operate without enough space to work with."

"Well that's something at least." Lucy sighed, "But there must be hundreds of warehouses around the port alone."

"That's true." Levy spoke up with a grin, "But we were able to narrow it down some." She pulled out a map and unrolled it, "See here? Even if they were to drug the girls into a deep sleep they'd still need to move quickly, so they'd need places convenient to both the railroad and the docks." She pointed to several locations in green, "Just as importantly, they'd need a place where there's little to no city authority. At least not of the variety that can't be bribed."

She pointed to smaller red locations in the green, "I admit it's not perfect, but..."

"No, it's perfect!" Lucy exclaimed happily, "You've turned a needle in a haystack into something we can work with!"

"We're gonna have t' split up if we're gonna check 'em all before sundown tomorrow." Gajeel grunted, "The shimp an' I can take this section here while you get the others."

"Gajeel!" Levy hissed angrily, "I'm not a shrimp!"

"Really?" Gajeel drawled, resting his elbow on her head, and smirked down at her, "You sure look like one to me."

Levy's eyes flashed dangerously and she stepped out from under his arm with a huff, a small smirk curling her lips when he toppled over, "Stupid."

Natsu raised another eyebrow at their interaction and a slow smile slid over his face. Gajeel stumbled back to his feet and growled quietly at Levy, who ignored him with a grin.

"Even if we don't know how to find them, we know how to stop them," Lucy gave the two bandits a wide smile.

"Wha?" Natsu cottoned on quickly, his lips curling into a grin. A glimmer of amusement flashed in his eyes.

"You still on about that plan for us to hit the train blondie?" Gajeel asked, looking somewhat impressed she was willing to follow through with the idea she concocted in their kitchen. It felt like ages ago.

Lucy lifted her chin, a smug smile on her face.

"Why not? You all hit trains anyway, it's hardly unusual for that to happen, especially when it's hard enough to warrant the attention of the magic knights," Lucy smirked.

"Gutsy Luce." Natsu purred excitedly, "You think it'd work?"

"Definitely." Lucy replied, trying not to shiver at Natsu's tone, "If we can get definite proof of what they're doing then we can get the magic knights officially involved."

"Ain't that gonna hurt your pa?" Gajeel asked, but Lucy shook her head.

"Dad's already gone to the authorities with what he knows. Finding proof will only tighten the case against Hades up, and prove to everyone that the Heartfilia integrity remains intact." Her lips twitched a little in amusement, "He might even get _more_ business out of it."

Gajeel hummed and nodded, "Alright." He agreed and glanced at Natsu, "Two man run with the queens on backup?"

Natsu frowned a little and shook his head, "Naw. Lucy's spirits make up for a lot. She's more valuable takin' the twin's place."

Gajeel nodded, "It's a plan then."

Lucy shot Levy an amused look. It was kind of impressive that Natsu and Gajeel could work out a plan to rob a train that easily. She had to wonder just how many different strategies they had for it. Most bandits seemed to have maybe two if they were smarter than average.

Levy rolled her eyes a bit as there was a polite tap on the door and a call of, "Room service!"

She turned to open it and smiled at the person on the other side, "Thank you. Just one cart for this room. The other can go to ours."

She turned back to Lucy and Natsu and smiled, "We should let you guys get cleaned up and settled in. It's gonna be a long day tomorrow."

They nodded in turn, waving goodbye as the two others filed out to leave them alone.

Natsu sighed and eyed the bed hungrily, but at Lucy's scowl he cowered away from it.

"Lets go wash up before supper, and then you can crawl allover the clean bed," Lucy smirked at him.

Natsu's expression practically lit up and he began to pluck at the buttons on his vest and shirt in his haste to wash up. There was a small wash room a joining their room, with a decent sized tub and water basin.

A smoky mirror hung on the wall, and directly under it was a shelf with a pitcher of water and an empty bowl.

Natsu eyed the shaving kit somewhat mournfully, having been unable to grow so much as a whisker on his face even after he hit puberty. Something about it not meshing well with his scales.

Honestly he was surprised he had any hair at all.

"Miss Lucy," Natsu called out, his eyes falling to the single filled water basin, "What d'you suppose were supposed to do with just _one_ of these for bathin'?"

He flashed a smirk back to Lucy and spoke in a suggestive purr, no doubt teasing. That still didn't stop the sudden warmth that soaked through her.

Damn him. He was doing this on purpose. She was sure of it. There was no way that smirk could mean anything else. Her eyes narrowed a bit only for her lips to tilt into a half smirk of her own as she decided two could play this game.

"Why, I thought that would be obvious." She purred in response, enjoying the way his eyes widened a little in surprise, and prowled towards him, "It's clear enough we're meant t' share this lovely tub of water. We are, after all, a couple."

She caressed a finger along his jaw, vindictively enjoying the way he swallowed nervously now that she wasn't blushing and squeaking like a virgin bride. Granted, the virgin part was accurate, but she was getting tired of him having the upper hand in this...whatever it was between them.

She leaned close and smirked at him, "Is that what you want?" She murmured breathlessly, "To share a bath with me?"

Natsu swallowed again as a fire ignited in the back of his eyes, "You're playin' with fire Miss Lucy." He growled roughly, "That's real dangerous."

Lucy raised an eyebrow and stepped back a little, "Am I?" She replied, "It seems more like you're getting a taste of your own medicine to me."

Natsu's fingers wrapped around her wrist, preventing her from totally withdrawing her hand from his face. Her fingers skimmed underneath the strong line of his jaw, drawing Lucy's eyes to it.

"Maybe I like the taste of this medicine," Natsu rumbles back, his lips quirking crooked at her. He advanced a step into her personal space and she swallowed.

She could practically see the flames dancing behind his eyes, enraptured by his tongue swiping out over his lips and catching behind pearly fangs.

Not for the first time, she wondered what that mouth would feel against hers. Now that they were alone, and in such intimate quarters, she could easily imagine it.

His mouth, hot and searching, a dominating force that was as wild as his nature. Water clinging down his bangs, sloshing against the sides of the tub while Lucy perched on top of him.

Both of them bent together, lips finding one another as if starved.

Lucy's eyes roamed up to his, trying to push the fantasy from her head. Trying not to imagine how his body would feel, naked and open under her own.

"Good," Lucy breathed back at him.

Natsu's face froze at the way she spoke, his heart fluttering with the sudden spike of desire her words brought.

She grabbed him by the vest and turned them around, swinging her hips tantalizingly.

Until she gave a light shove to his chest and he found the washroom door closing in his face.

"But ladies first!" Lucy sang, startling Natsu out of his stupor with a swear.

* * *

 ** _Alrighty! A few things to go over before I let you see your preview. First, I wanna let everyone know that Mslead and I will both be out of town next Wednesday for Thanksgiving. I'll have access to a computer, so I'll try to get the updates out anyway, but since I'll be out of town visiting family there's no telling how that will go._**

 ** _Second, we've seen a little confusion on this lately, so I want to remind everyone that Acnologia is NOT dad. That's Draco. Acnologia is a 400 year old half brother to the current nest._**

 _ **And finally, I want to wish everyone traveling for the holiday safe travels! I hope you all have smooth flights/drives and don't meet any of the crazies that come out of the woodwork this time of year. I also want to give a big thank you, as usual, to our lovely reviewers. You guys rocked it and earned your preview! Love you guys!** _

_He wasn't going to tell her just yet, but he fully intended to court her properly when this was over. He simply could no longer imagine his life without her in it, and he had no intention of trying. Even if it meant giving up banditry and joining her at Fairy Tail._

 _He would do whatever it took to court her and fully win her heart. And maybe one day, if he was lucky, she would agree to officially become his queen._

 _It was a life worth fighting for, and he would fight for it. How could he not?_

 _He smiled as he settled back down beside her and snuggled her close, his heart bursting with happiness as his decision was made and he joined her in sleep._


	24. Fix One's Flint

**Hey guys! Kytrin here at last! I am so sorry again for Wednesday! However, I am now back in Florida and have access to Mslead's credentials muahahahahaha! Not to worry, I've made a more readily accessible copy for myself, so this shouldn't happen again.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 24**

 _ ** **Fix One's Flint** **_

_To settle a matter._

* * *

Natsu huffed a little indignantly at the closed door, his ears twitching a little as he picked up the telltale sounds of Lucy moving around. Desire shivered through him again and he took a forceful step back. Damn that woman. She'd always teased and tantalized him, but he'd never seriously thought she might be interested in him too.

Now he knew better.

And he was in _so_ much trouble.

It had been one thing to tease her and mess with her a little over her obviously prudish and high class upbringing. He'd even enjoyed how she was physically attracted to him when they wound up in compromising positions or she'd seen him bare. But he'd never really taken it seriously. She was young and healthy and it was normal for her to react the way she had. That didn't mean she specifically wanted him.

Except apparently it did.

At least it did if he'd understood her correctly, but it was pretty difficult to mistake intent when she was pleased he was reacting to her.

Just the thought sent another shiver down his spine, and his arousal pushed uncomfortably against his pants. Lucy wanted him. She _wanted_ him. _Him_. Despite knowing what he was. Despite... well... everything.

He bit back a groan as he dropped into a chair and resisted the urge to do something about the fire in his pants. He was pretty sure if he started he wouldn't stop, and there was no telling how long Lucy would take or if his stupid brother would come back for something. Though that was unlikely given how Levy had somehow performed a miracle and become Gajeel's queen.

He snorted a little at the thought and tried not to sulk about how unfair it was. His grumpy brother had landed his queen after knowing her for less time and he hadn't gotten anywhere with Lucy yet!

A blush immediately crawled over his cheeks at the thought. Had he really just thought that? Lucy as his queen? The thought made his instincts purr in delight, and he couldn't help the soft growl of pleasure that escaped his lips. Oh _yes_. Lucy as his very own queen sounded very good indeed. Even when she was scratching at him all he'd wanted was to growl and purr and give her something entirely pleasurable to scream about instead.

He shuddered as the scent of soap and Lucy wafted from the other room and abruptly stood up. He needed to clear his head before he pounced on her as soon as she stepped out. Though the thought was awfully tempting she deserved better than that.

He grabbed the key to their room, locked the door behind him and headed down the hall. While their rooms were way more refined than anything he was used to, he was certain places like this had a community bath.

So he headed down the hall, leaving Lucy alone in their room.

-::-

Lucy for her part was internally screaming over her boldness. She had seen the look of shock on Natsu's face when she returned his playful volley, and suddenly the air between them had become charged with something she couldn't put her finger on.

What was she thinking? Natsu infuriated and captivated her in equal turns, but he was also an outlaw. He made his stance on that _very_ clear.

But there was a very large part of her, one that she was listening to more and more, that wanted nothing more than what he was offering.

And not just that, although Lucy's curiosity was certain interested in his predatory smiles and hot whispered words.

But she loved the silliness in his smile, his moans as they got off a train, and his occasional brattiness. He was more fun than Lucy had known before.

Lucy moaned in despair for her heart as she sank another inch into the lukewarm water.

She should have gotten Natsu to heat it up before she slammed the door in his face.

Still, she took her time in the bath, using the time to wash away the dust of the day and the hard traveling through train. And by the time she was done, the water was cloudy and she was certainly very clean.

She realized with a start how cold the water was, and her teeth chattered at her foolishness. How long had she been in there for?

She hurried to get out and wrapped a towel around herself, creaking the door open enough to see Natsu standing right at the door frame with his fist raised to knock.

Lucy's mouth went dry when she realized he was shirtless, and still a little damp. Had he gone to bathe elsewhere? She winced a bit guiltily over hogging the bathroom.

"Wow Lucy, I thought you drowned in there," He teased, "Finished your primpin'?"

Lucy felt her cheeks heat and nodded, "Yeah. Sorry about that. I guess I got lost in my thoughts."

He canted his head slightly and gave her a somewhat knowing smile, "I know how that goes." He replied softly and stepped aside so she could exit.

Lucy felt her heart melt a little at his understanding tone. Though it was replaced a moment later by a shiver as the cooler air of the larger room hit her. It was officially freezing. A soft sound, not quite a scoff, and not quite a sigh, came from Natsu, but before she could turn to ask what the problem was now gentle hands pressed against her hair.

"Did you seriously sit in that tub cold?" He asked as he ran his fingers through her tresses, carefully drying them, "That ain't healthy you know."

Lucy opened her mouth to respond, but her breath caught in her throat at the way he was caressing her. It was both relaxing and exciting and she simply couldn't think of anything to say. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had played with her hair and the soft pleasure had her nearly purring in contentment.

She leaned back into the hands as they worked, deciding it wasn't worth the trouble of answering, and simply basked in the attention only to moan a little in disappointment when they stopped shortly after.

She barely had time to register her disappointment however before his arms slipped around her waist and she was pulled gently back against his chest.

A blush immediately sprang to her cheeks, and she tensed uncertainly, but he just chuckled softly.

"None of that." He murmured, his hands not moving from where they'd settled, "I'm not gonna hurt you or nothin'. I just figured you were still cold."

Lucy didn't really have an argument against that, and it was nice being held like that. Though her stomach didn't stop twisting and flopping in excitement. However, she sighed and reluctantly pulled herself away from his warmth, sorry to see both it and his interesting new demeanor go.

"I appreciate it." She murmured, her lips twitching in amusement, "Really. But I should probably get dressed before you do anything else."

Natsu snorted a little, his amusement and appreciation of her current state both clear, and nodded, "Go get dressed then. I'll have the bed ready when ya get back."

Lucy nodded and grabbed her bag before retreating back into the bathroom to change, her heart thumping at the oddly tender way he was acting. It reminded her of when he'd asked her to dance, but this felt like so much more. There was an undercurrent she couldn't quite identify, but she liked it. She liked it a lot. And she was curious to see just what he was going to do next.

When she emerged again, she spotted him sitting on the edge of the bed, absently wheeling their food cart back and forth. She noticed that it was still warm, and completely untouched.

"Why didn't you get started eating without me?" Lucy asked, earning herself a raised eyebrow in response.

"Queens get their pick first, duh miss Lucy, ain't ya been listenin'?" He teased, but it was without his usual sarcastic bite. His smile was wide on his face and he nudged himself over to make room for her to sit down next to him.

"'Sides, it's more fun eating with someone," his elbow grazed against her side.

Lucy's cheeks warmed again at the reminder but she piled herself a plate and left the rest to Natsu.

He was eyeing her still trembling frame with a hooded look, seeming to be caught up in his thoughts as he watched her. Lucy raised an eyebrow, scooting a little closer to him discreetly as they ate. Or rather just her, Natsu finished up his meal in seconds.

His eyes flashed at the movement, no doubt catching her in the act of trying to get closer to her walking furnace.

"Ya shouldn't do that y'know," Natsu scooted closer to her, an arm sliding forward to cage more heat around her. Despite the climate, deserts were known to get to frigid temperatures in the middle of the night.

"Do what?" Lucy asked, putting her plate to the side.

"You'll catch your death out here," Natsu said instead, leaning forward on the heels of his hands, "Humans get sick out here real easy Miss Lucy."

"I think I'm a little tougher than that." Lucy huffed in amusement, though that didn't stop her from leaning into his warmth. It felt really good after her bath and the coolness of the air. It wasn't quite late enough for it to be properly cold yet, but it wouldn't take long now that the sun was down.

Natsu snorted a little, but didn't reply as she finished her meal and smiled happily, "Thanks Natsu."

"Always Miss Lucy." He purred softly, and gently tugged her to her feet, "Now c'mon. We've got a long day tomorrow."

Lucy raised an eyebrow at that, but followed gamely. She'd half expected him to tease her again or something, but he didn't seem inclined to revisit the thing simmering between them. And it was definitely still there. She could see it in the way he looked at her and moved. Like there was a hungry fire just barely held in check just under the surface.

It made her shiver and tingle pleasantly, and she felt a little torn between pushing at the fire to see what he would do and going along with things.

On the one hand she had little doubt what pushing him would lead to, a thought that both warmed her and made her a little nervous, but on the other she was pretty sure that would be a bad idea. They were in the middle of a dangerous job, and a lot was riding on them being at their sharpest in the morning. They didn't have time for that kind of distraction right?

She tried to ignore the way everything in her sighed in disappointed frustration as he led her to bed, and snuggled up behind her without any sign of wandering hands. Hands she positively ached to have wander certain places.

"G'night Lucy," He growled, voice rougher than she was used to hearing. She shivered at the sound, her body trembling enough for him to notice. His arm, warm and strong slid around her waist.

"Goodnight Natsu," She mumbled back at him, a soft smile curling her lips as she leaned into his warmth. The simmering heat between them, that had been threatening to erupt relaxed as the long day caught up with her. In moments she was yawning as she settled in to sleep and her eyes slid closed.

Natsu watched her quietly as she quickly fell asleep, an affectionate smile curling his lips as he brushed her hair out of her face. She was beautiful in every way, and he knew now he was well and truly lost. Was this how his brother felt? If so, he couldn't blame Gajeel one bit for moving as quickly as he had.

The question was, what now?

He'd resisted the idea of being anything other than what he was. A bandit and a scoundrel. His family had survived so far on their wits and as far as he was concerned that was all they needed. Except…

Except Lucy have proved them wrong. Time and again.

She'd shown them another way. A way of acceptance and friendship. A way to live none of them had seriously ever dreamed of before. She'd shown them that there were other possibilities out there. And yes, perhaps they were more dangerous than their tried and true methods, but the reward was also greater. And it seemed that Fairy Tail at least had the right kind of mentality to appeal to a nest of dragons.

Was that something he wanted? For himself and his nest?

The question gnawed at him, but no matter what angle he looked at it from he couldn't help coming back to yes. Lucy and Fairy Tail offered them a home, and… and he wanted it. He wanted that home. Even if it meant giving up everything about themselves.

But they wouldn't really would they? Sure, they'd have to become relatively law abiding, but they'd still be fundamentally the same wouldn't they?

In the face of it that didn't seem like such a large and scary change.

He wondered if that was what had changed Gajeel's mind. He'd have to ask sometime.

Something in his chest settled as he reached a decision he hadn't realized was gnawing at him so much, and he smiled affectionately at Lucy's sleeping face. He would do it. All of it.

He wasn't going to tell her just yet, but he fully intended to court her properly when this was over. He simply could no longer imagine his life without her in it, and he had no intention of trying. Even if it meant giving up banditry and joining her at Fairy Tail.

He would do whatever it took to court her and fully win her heart. And maybe one day, if he was lucky, she would agree to officially become his queen.

It was a life worth fighting for, and he would fight for it. How could he not?

He smiled as he settled back down beside her and snuggled her close, his heart bursting with happiness as his decision was made and he joined her in sleep.

* * *

 _ **Alrighty guys, we made it to the end! I know this one was a bit of a short chapter, but this was the most natural place to end it. Next chapter will be longer. I promise. I want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed! You guys were amazing as always! Enjoy your very well earned preview! I'll see you Saturday!**_

 _Natsu stared at her swinging hips as she disappeared around the corner. He moved slowly to move after her, only to find his arm yanked back three steps from his original spot._

 _Dumbly, he looked at his wrist, recognizing the handcuffs Levy had given Lucy earlier._

 _He growled as his brain began to work again, twisting around to tug at his wrist. Of all the damned, sneaky-!_

 _Lucy was more stubborn than a mule, too clever for her own good, and with a mischievous spirit so fierce it could give the flames of Igneel a run for their money._

 _"I think I might damn well be in love," Natsu growled in genuine frustration, giving his wrist a shake and glaring at the support beam he was cuffed to._

 _She left him to go on a dangerous mission by herself, giving him nothing but a deep yearning in his blood and a pitched tent._

 _When he got his hands on her. He grit his teeth together, his instincts happily feeding the fantasy of just what he would do to her._

 _Maybe he would use the cuffs on her and see how well she liked it._


	25. Wamble-Cropped

**Hey guys! Kytrin here with your Wednesday update! No major announcements, so I'll let you get on to the chapter. Mslead is currently looking over Samhain, so we should have that up soon too! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 25**

 _ ** **Wamble-Cropped** **_

_Sick at the stomach, and figuratively, wretched, humiliated._

* * *

When day broke Lucy and Natsu weren't given the opportunity to talk about anything as Gajeel hammered on their door as a rude sort of wake up call. Lucy yelped in alarm as they jolted awake tangled together and, Natsu got a frantic elbow to the eye by a red faced Lucy in her haste to get detangled.

"Ya hear that rooster cawin' love birds? That means get up!" Gajeel thumped his fist against the door. Natsu snarled angrily, his palm pressing into his tender eye while Lucy fluttered around getting dressed.

She moved over to his side, drawing her hand gently around his wrist and wincing at his watery glare, "Ouch! I'm sorry Natsu, I didn't realize your face was so close!"

Natsu gave a betrayed hiss and pouted at her, "That's OK, it gives me 'nother reason to kill my brother."

Lucy shot him an apologetic look and leaned over to peck a kiss beside the tender eye before pulling away to vanish into the bathroom with her stuff as Gajeel thumped on the door again.

Natsu watched her go before stomping over to the door and pulling it open with a growl, "The hell's the big idea!" He demanded crankily, "Ya didn't have to go poundin' on the door like that ya damn jerk!"

"Got ya up didn't it?" Gajeel smirked and eyed Natsu's still watery eye, "The hell happened t' your eye runt?"

"Lucy happened!" Natsu snapped, "An' it wouldn't've if you hadn't scared her outta bed!"

"Oh dear!" Levy exclaimed, appearing around Gajeel's side, and shooting Natsu an apologetic look, "Sorry about that Natsu. Do you need anything for it?"

Natsu huffed a little at the petite queen and crossed his arms, "Nah. It'll be fine."

Lucy had gotten him pretty good, but even the tender skin around his eyes was tougher than most human skin. He doubted it would even bruise. It just smarted at the moment.

Levy nodded and tugged at Gajeel's arm, "In that case I think Gajeel will go on ahead and get breakfast started. You guys come join us when you're ready okay?"

Gajeel glanced down at her and grumbled a little bit, but allowed himself to be pulled away from prickling his brother any more. Much though he would've enjoyed doing so.

Natsu snorted and ducked back inside to dig out some clean clothes. He tapped on the bathroom door, "I'm heading down the hall." He called, "Common bath's at the end."

Lucy poked her head out a moment later, "They probably have fresh hot water down there." She said excitedly, "Hang on and I'll join you."

Natsu grinned as she ducked back inside, inordinately pleased that she liked his idea, and stepped back to wait for her. Thankfully she only took a moment before she was stepping back out with him and grinned, "Lead the way sir."

He snorted and offered her his arm with an exaggerated bow, "Right this way ma'am."

She took his arm, much to his delight, and he grinned at her as they walked down the hallway together before splitting into separate baths. Less than an hour later they were seated in front of Gajeel and Levy, the women picking out their breakfast while the two men patiently waited their turn.

Natsu kept sneaking glances at Lucy out the corner of his eye, unable to help himself from being distracted by the memory of the feel of her tangled legs and the bowing curve of her body.

He practically ached to kiss her, to feel what those lips would feel like against his.

But he sternly told himself to keep a head on his shoulders.

"Oi runt!" Gajeel snarled as he smacked Natsu over the head, "Quit fantasizin' about your queen an' pay attention!"

Natsu bared his fangs at his brother and started to lunge across the table at him when a firm hand grabbed hold of his shirt and tugged him back.

"Please not at the table." Lucy scolded him, though there was a bright blush on her cheeks as she spoke, "We're in public."

She shot Gajeel a glare, "And you stop saying stuff like that."

Gajeel snorted as Lucy rolled up a small map Natsu didn't even remember seeing brought out, "Alright," She told Levy, "I think that's everything. We split up here to look and meet back at high noon?"

Levy nodded as she got up, Lucy following a moment later, "And, of course, if you get into trouble, call on the lacrima or blow something up."

Lucy snorted and shot Natsu a wry look, "We probably shouldn't give them any ideas you know."

"I dunno Lucy, that sounds like a great idea," Natsu said with a shrewd grin that earned him a light thwack on his shoulder.

Natsu blinked as he felt her hand linger across his shoulder, fingers dipping down under the blade and drifting to his spine. A muscle in his jaw twitched and he damn near swallowed his own tongue.

But Lucy's sly touch was gone as quick as it came, and she was bending over the table to reach for a pair of handcuffs Levy was holding out.

"These will do well if you run into any problem across the way," She grinned at Lucy, "They're made from magic sealing stone. Gajeel and I... uh, well we happened to have a couple fall into our possession."

"Is this another part of that long story you're holding out on me?" Lucy asked, plucking the cuffs off the table and hooking them into her waistband.

"Ugh, don't go worrin' 'bout it Blondie, just consider it a going away present that was given to us," Gajeel grumbled.

Really, what _had_ those two been up to?

Lucy snorted in amusement and secured the handcuffs, "Thanks. We'll see you back here at noon."

Levy nodded and waved goodbye as it appeared Gajeel was lingering a bit over the last of his food.

"So where're we going first?' Natsu asked curiously as he peered over Lucy's shoulder at the map. On closer inspection it appeared to be a more detailed view of one of the sections they'd talked about the night before. Presumably this was their area to investigate.

"The train station first I'd say." Lucy replied after a moment's thought, "It's a good landmark and should be able to help us orient. After that we can sweep outwards starting with the places closes to the station itself."

Natsu nodded. That sounded good to him. As long as he didn't have to climb back on one of those stupid death traps he didn't mind the station at all.

They walked in companionable silence as they made their way to the station, but Natsu couldn't help stealing glances at Lucy as they did. Despite his resolve the night before, seeing her in full daylight had him longing to tell her what he'd decided and ask her to be his queen right now. It was very frustrating.

For her part, Lucy was wondering the exact same thing. She'd been unable to stop thinking about Natsu's hands and the way they'd felt wrapped around herthe night before, and though she'd done her best not to show it she badly wanted to feel it again. Properly this time.

The thought had her blushing as she wondered what it would be like to feel his lips against hers and then, maybe, elsewhere.

Did she really want that? She'd never given into the temptation of a lover before, but there had also never been anyone like Natsu before. Was she really willing to give him everything she'd held on to so tightly?

The answer was immediate. Yes. She was.

She ached for him in a way she'd never done for anyone else, and... she cared for him. Despite how much he annoyed her, he was a friend, and she thought maybe there was the chance he could be a lot more.

Natsu dropped his hat on top of Lucy's head for her to hold, startling her out of her thoughts. He scrambled up the side of the platform, stretching out on the roof.

Squinting out, he stuck his tongue out between his teeth and inhaled deeply.

"You're going to be looking for the scent of sweat and everything that goes with living in tight quarters!" Lucy called up to him, not necessarily a fan of his way of looking out but not really against the idea.

He was already up there after all. Best to take advantage of it.

Natsu flashed her a wicked smile, his eyes trailing over her noticeably before he nodded and looked back up.

She held her breath, body tingling over his dragging gaze, but bit her tongue. She did want to hiss at him to hurry though, because she was worried they'd be caught.

The concern was needless though, as Natsu slid down a moment later and nodded in one direction, "East. Smells especially foul over there."

Lucy nodded and dropped his hat back on his head, her lips twitching a little at the look he gave her, "We'll start there then." She agreed, and firmly wrenched her mind around to the mission at hand. The women that had been taken were far more important than her lust for her partner.

They casually walked away from the station, mindful of any potential watchers, and alert for any danger. However, there was none as they wandered slowly out of the station and nearby businesses and into the warehouse district.

At first the warehouses didn't look much different from the businesses they'd just passed, but it didn't take long before Natsu shifted his posture and lengthened his strides to something more purposeful and predatory.

"What's wrong?" She asked softly, not certain what had set him off.

"Try an' look like you're on a guild job." He muttered in reply, "Ain't safe to wander this neck of the woods actin' like a high society gal."

Understanding flashed instantly and Lucy tried her best to follow his directions. She wasn't sure if she'd done exactly what he wanted, but it seemed to work as they garnered several looks from the workers and other people around, but no one looked at them twice. Though she noticed more than one leer sent in her direction.

Something Natsu apparently noticed as well if his low growling and the glares he shot the offenders was anything to go by. It allowed them enough leeway to move around freely where otherwise they would have been questioned though.

Natsu pressed his back against the wooden wall of a warehouse where the smell was coming in strongest. He glanced around and threaded his fingers together, nodding for Lucy to use him as a lift.

Rolling her eyes at his cheeky grin and wiggling eyebrows, she put her hands on his broad shoulders and her boot on his folded hands.

She squeaked when he hoisted her up, ignoring his chuckling as her fingers scrambled for purchase on the tall window he was aiming for.

"See anything?" He asked, hands wrapped firmly around her boot.

"Give me a second," she shook her head at him, "So impatient."

She returned her gaze to the milky glass, but her smile fell off her face as they came face to face with precisely what they were looking for.

As far as she could tell, there were hundreds of people, slaved and chained together.

"Natsu..." Lucy breathed, horror catching her breath at the sight. It wasn't just women in there, though they made up the majority, but men and children too. They all had a wane, hopeless, look behind the fear on their faces. As if they'd given up any idea of rescue already.

Beneath her Natsu tensed and frowned at the tone of her voice. They'd hit jackpot already then. Damn. He helped her back down, a part of him irrationally glad that she was safe in his arms once she was, and eyed her seriously, "How bad?"

"Bad." Lucy muttered grimly, "There's hundreds in there. Mostly women, but men and children too." She shivered, "Their eyes Natsu... they have no hope."

Natsu blew out a breath and nodded, "C'mon." He urged, "Let's get outta here and call the metalhead."

Lucy nodded and allowed him to guide her away, silently grateful for the feel of his arm around her waist, but couldn't help glancing back over her shoulder. It felt so wrong to leave them there like that. But what was she going to do? Sure she and Natsu were both strong, but there was no telling how many of Hades' men were around, and any rescue they did now would surely surprise the captives as much as the captors.

She bit her lip and wondered if there was any way to get a warning to the captives. Something, anything, to get them ready to act at a moment's notice. Even if all they did was get out of the way it would help.

She turned the problem over as they walked back, barely paying any attention to their surroundings, just automatically responding to Natsu's subtle signals until they arrived back at the Inn.

The walls were too high for them to easily send a message without alerting the guards. And it was too problematic if the prisoners inside began to panic. Without someone to herd or guide them, they could easily be hurt when Natsu and Gajeel descended on the warehouse.

There were far more people there than she realized.

They _couldn't_ attack the warehouse. Not without casualties.

They wouldn't be able to save everyone...

Not unless...

She gripped a hold of the back of Natsu's vest, causing him to stop just before he entered the Inn.

His expression was stormy, and it seemed like this thoughts were running in similar paths to her own. How to save everyone without accidentally causing a stampede in the process. So many people were gaunt and weakened...

"Natsu, I have an idea," Lucy murmured, turning him around to the side of the inn and pulling him into a private corner out of sight.

He went willingly, his eyebrow raising at her.

"Now before you go ahead and say 'no' just hear me out," Lucy hid her smile at his immediate scowl.

Natsu made a somewhat pained noise in the back of his throat, but his eyes narrowed with interest.

"The problem is the captives right?" She forged on, "We can't fight around them or they'll panic and cause all kinds of problems out of fear. We can't get them out tonight either since they're due to leave tonight."

Natsu nodded warily, and she took a deep breath, "So we need to warn them. And the only way to do that is to get someone on the inside."

Natsu nodded again, "Alright. I'm with ya so far princess. But just how're we supposed to get someone on the inside on short notice?"

Lucy smirked and shifted into a flirtatious pose, "You can't." She replied, "But I can."

"What?" Natsu exclaimed, "Are you crazy?"

"It's the only way!" Lucy insisted, "We don't have time for you or Gajeel to try and join their ranks, assuming they wouldn't recognize you both on sight anyway, and Levy would be rejected out of hand. She's too small and _looks_ physically weak. I'm the only one that can reasonably be 'caught' and added to the rest!"

Natsu scowled, "Lucy, do you know what you're riskin'?" He demanded, "There's reasons besides work they're takin' women for ya know! An' I doubt the guards have a no touching policy!"

Lucy shuddered a bit at the implication, but her expression hardened, "That makes it more important I get those women out of there as fast as possible." She met his expression unflinchingly, "As long as I time it right they won't have _time_ to do anything to me before you, Gajeel, and Levy show up. As long as I'm in there I can at least get a warning out to the other prisoners."

"No way!" Natsu hissed, mingled anger and distress crawling across his face, "It ain't worth the risk!"

"Yes it is Natsu! You can't tell me that looking at all of those scared faces in there you would want any less than for them to be just as free as we are!" Lucy shot back, not bowing away when he pushed into her personal space.

His cheeks were warm, his breath a little ragged and a growl bubbled in the back of his throat.

"I'm not sayin' that Lucy," Natsu said, somewhat pained, but stubbornly refusing to move from his stance, "but I could go with you! We're partners, and you ain't goin' in there by yourself! Not without backup!"

He could see the flash of anger in Lucy's eyes and the way her cheeks puffed out. He trusted her abilities fine, but he didn't trust her being out numbered as much as she would be.

Lucy sagged a bit and nodded, her eyes casting down to her feet, "Fine then... You're right Natsu. We'll do this together."

Natsu's mouth lifted into the edges of a smile and he nodded, "Righ-"

But he was cut off, very abruptly as he suddenly found himself holding onto an armful of an aggressive Lucy.

She wound her arms around his neck, pulling his head down towards hers so suddenly he didn't even have the opportunity to catch his breath.

Her lips found his, soft and velvety smooth against his. He froze at first, too shocked to be able to tell what was happening beyond his numb reasoning of 'Lucy is kissing me.'

However, as Lucy's lips moved awkwardly against his own, he couldn't help responding and the shock quickly gave way to a roaring heat. He snapped his arms around her, tangling a hand in her hair as all other thoughts flew out the window.

She tasted as exquisite as she looked, and in an instant he knew he could never get enough. He smirked a little at her clumsy motions, purring softly at how adorable his inexperienced queen was, and his eyes slid shut in pleasure as he pulled her closer.

"Natsu!" She gasped as they broke apart for air, and the sound sent Natsu's blood boiling. He wanted her. He needed her. In every way.

He dove back in for a deeper kiss, slipping a leg between her thighs as he did, and rocked gently against her. He growled encouragingly as she gasped a little and jolted from her touch when she melted against him with a fiery eagerness he'd never seen in any woman. It was like she'd been made just for him, and he couldn't get enough.

He shifted his grip a little, the urge to touch more of her rising, but no sooner had he wrapped a hand around her wrist than something cold clicked around it, and she was pulling away.

"Sorry Natsu." She said breathlessly, her cheeks flushed, her hair mussed, and her lips deliciously kiss swollen, "I'm afraid I have to insist on my plan."

She smirked a little and shifted, the potent scent of her arousal reaching him, "Try not to take too long to catch up alright? I'm going to need my partner."

She leaned in before he could respond, shock still permeating his system, and boldly caressed his hardness, "I look forward to finishing this later." She purred, and left with an airy laugh.

Natsu stared at her swinging hips as she disappeared around the corner. He moved slowly to move after her, only to find his arm yanked back three steps from his original spot.

Dumbly, he looked at his wrist, recognizing the handcuffs Levy had given Lucy earlier.

He growled as his brain began to work again, twisting around to tug at his wrist. Of all the damned, sneaky-!

Lucy was more stubborn than a mule, too clever for her own good, and with a mischievous spirit so fierce it could give the flames of Igneel a run for their money.

"I think I might damn well be in love," Natsu growled in genuine frustration, giving his wrist a shake and glaring at the support beam he was cuffed to.

She left him to go on a dangerous mission by herself, giving him nothing but a deep yearning in his blood and a pitched tent.

When he got his hands on her. He grit his teeth together, his instincts happily feeding the fantasy of just what he would do to her.

Maybe he would use the cuffs on her and see how well she liked it.

He tried to push away the images, focusing instead on the immediate danger she would soon be in. Damn it all, if he only had a key!

Oh when he got his hands on her, he was going to make her pay for putting his heart through this.

* * *

 _ **And that's the chapter! Thank you to everyone who reviewed as always! You guys were amazing, and I hope you all enjoy your well earned preview! See you on Saturday!** _

_She quickly closed her eyes again as she was shifted, making soft sounds like she was starting to come to, but as she was sat down and opened her eyes again her scream of surprise was not feigned at all._

 _Staring down at her was a man that was at least twice the size of Gajeel, but looked like he'd been made out of badly molded dough. He was even a powder white._

 _"Oh look she's awake!" The man exclaimed happily and grinned as he clapped chains on her, ordinary non-magic suppressing ones she noted with relief, "You stay here and be good okay?" He asked as he patted her on the head as if she was some kind of puppy, "I know I'm irresistible, but I've got work to do before I take you and your friends to Master Zeref."_

 _Lucy blinked at him, completely at a loss for what to say. Was this guy serious? Surely he didn't think she would act up because she... the very thought made her shudder._

 _This guy was like Loke only worse. At least Loke was **actually** handsome even if he wasn't her type._


	26. Old

**Hey Mslead here for your Sunday update! Although I guess now it's technically Monday. My bad I've had a bit of a busy week and a hell of a lot of personal stuff going on so excuse the late update. Anyway here ya go! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 26**

 _ **Old  
**_ _Crafty, cunning. If someone tries to take advantage of someone else, who is too cunning to be deceived, he might say "I'm a little too old for you."_

* * *

Natsu growled and tugged against the cuffs irritably. Without the key this was going to be obnoxious to get out of. Which was no doubt his queen's plan. He eyed the beam he was cuffed to speculatively and gave an experimental yank. Maybe he could break it out?

A wicked smirk curled his lips and he jerked on it again. The sound of wood straining and cracking reached his ears and he cackled a little as he pulled hard. The cuff around his wrist dug in a little as he did, but it wasn't nearly strong enough to bother his hide and in a few moments the beam splintered and cracked apart.

The sudden laxness startled him a little, even though he'd been prepared for it, and he stumbled a bit before catching himself. However, his triumphant grin quickly morphed into intense worry as he looked in the direction Lucy had gone. He hadn't been delayed for long, but finding her in this mess would not be easy. The warehouse had been hard enough.

At least he knew where she'd end up.

He growled a little at the thought and took off running, only remembering at the last second to pull out his lacrima and dial Gajeel.

"What is it runt?" Gajeel grunted as soon as he answered.

"We found it." Natsu growled shortly, "You can't miss it from the station. Place reeks."

"Heh. Guess your nose ain't useless after all." Gajeel snorted, but Natsu didn't respond to the bait.

"Lucy's gone." He growled darkly, his grip on the lacrima tightening.

"What do you mean gone?" Levy asked in the background in alarm.

Natsu didn't reply for a moment, "There're too many captives." He replied tensely after a moment, "She went in to keep 'em from gettin' caught in the crossfire."

"Gave me a souvenir before she left though," Natsu held up his wrist to show it in the lacrima, "I hope you guys kept yourself a spare key."

"How'd the hell did Miss Heartfilia manage to wrangle you?" Gajeel scoffed, amusement coloring his voice.

Natsu's cheeks reddened and he huffed under his breath, his eyes flashing around. The reminder of Lucy's sneaky kisses to the forefront of his mind.

Oh he was definitely going to have his revenge.

"Don't worry 'bout it," Natsu grumbled, his jaw locking as he focused his gaze in front of him, "Just meet me at the station and we'll figure out what to do from there."

There was no point in busting in now to 'rescue' Lucy. Not when it would go precisely against the point they thought of.

Natsu hated to admit it, but it was a good plan.

Even if it was annoying that Lucy had come up with it under such circumstances.

He trusted Lucy would give them a signal, even though his stomach was tied up in knots over what could be happening to her.

Not that he doubted she was in too much danger now that he thought about it. Not with her spirits looking out for her. The glowy cat especially seemed awfully fond of her. And if Natsu's memory served him right, Leo was the one spirit who could easily fight and emerge outside of his gate without his mistress' direct commands.

The thought brought him no small amount of comfort, and the knot of anxiety in his belly loosened a fraction. It wouldn't diminish his revenge on her one iota of course, but at least he could worry a little less about her.

By the time he made it to the station Gajeel and Levy were already waiting for him. He ignored the smirk on his brother's face at the sight of the cuff dangling from his wrist in favor of presenting it to Levy, who quickly unlocked it for him.

"Plan?" Gajeel rumbled.

Natsu glanced at the sun. It was getting into afternoon, and there was no telling if Lucy had been taken yet or not. No doubt she had to do some setting up of her own before that could happen convincingly.

"Plan B." He replied, his expression hard, "There's not enough time to hunt her down, an' much as I hate to admit it her plan's a good one. There's well over a hundred people in there. If someone ain't there to calm 'em down an' look after 'em..."

Gajeel nodded grimly, following exactly what Natsu meant, "Alright. We're gonna have to hurry then. Not a lot of time to set somethin' up."

Even less since it was just the two of them. But they would think of something. They had to.

"It'll be alright Natsu." Levy spoke up, dropping her hand on his arm, "Don't worry."

Natsu flashed her a brief smile and nodded, "Let's get movin'."

-::-

Meanwhile Lucy was doing precisely what Natsu expected she was. Preparing to be 'kidnapped.'

It had taken a bit of convincing with Leo to get him to join in on her plan, but he kept a firm grip on her keys so they wouldn't be taken by the people who would be holding her hostage.

With Leo set into place, Lucy got herself ready. The important thing was to look the part of someone who was an easy target for kidnapping. It wasn't something she was looking forward to with any sort of relish, but she knew if she stood a chance it would be doing this on her terms.

So she looked the role of a rich heiress, not an impossible feat for her. She dolled herself up, making doubly sure to have washed off the dirt from her hands and face. While there wasn't much she could do about her traveling clothes, she had long since learned it was more about how one carried themselves than it was how they were dressed.

That was how she found herself walking back in the seedy looking area they found the warehouse before. She attracted all sorts of gazes, and she steeled herself before squaring up her chin to approach one of the more suspicious looking men floating around.

"Beg your pardon sir, but I believe I'm a tad lost," Lucy said airly, patting her gloved hands across her skirt and lifting one to fan at her bosom. She internally rolled her eyes at the way his eyes dropped down to her cleavage.

"It's awful hot too, I don't suppose you could spare some time for a lady looking for some directions and shade?" Lucy fluttered.

The slimy looking man gave her a once over, his eyes passing across Lucy from head to toe, as if assessing her worth.

And after a long, almost insulting moment, he smirked at her and nodded.

"Reckon I can," He said gruffly, "Follow me miss."

Lucy tried not to show how tense she was as she vapidly followed along with him, but she couldn't make herself relax. She knew there would be an ambush of some kind and her instinct was to fight the moment it appeared. Fortunately, her act allowed her to explain her tension away as movement so it was doubtful her 'guide' had even noticed.

Of course, that assumed her 'guide' had bothered to tear his gaze away from her chest when he wasn't looking where he was going.

She just hoped this one was one of the ones working for the kidnappers and not just a creepy perv or she would have to start all over again.

That would be very annoying.

He guided her to a surprisingly quaint little café and gestured to a seat in the shade with a smile, "Does this suit miss?"

If anything his smile was creepier than his stares had been.

"Oh yes!" She exclaimed breathlessly, "Thank you so much good sir! It's been such a long day!"

"I'm sure it has." The man smirked, and signaled to a waiter, "Something cold for the lady and myself. It seems she's overdone herself in this heat."

Lucy was a tad impressed. This wasn't a typical stop like a saloon, and it even had its own wait staff. Typically only the very rich had that. Which made it all the more suspicious that such a place existed in this part of town.

Clearly this was a halfway point of sorts, and Lucy smiled gratefully when the waiter brought back a flavored fruit drink of sorts. No doubt to hide the taste of a barbiturate.

Everyone here had to be in on the secret some way or another. Otherwise the operation simply wouldn't work. She eyed the steady business around them with a critical eye.

The best fronts tended to be businesses which were actually successful, which was why she imagined Heartfilia Rails were used to begin with. Aside from convenience.

It was a shame a place like this was no doubt being used for smuggling. Lucy gasped and made a show of dropping her handkerchief, fluttering her hands as she bent to fetch it.

While she was bent, she dug a finger into her cleavage to pull out a small sponge she could hide in the palm of her hand.

She wasn't going to drink if she didn't have to, but she certainly had to fake it.

Lucy smiled as she straightened up, "So sorry about that!" She exclaimed and lifted her glass.

She was careful to adjust her grip so her hand curled naturally around the lip, and with it the sponge, before lifting it towards her mouth and seeming to drink. The liquid immediately hit the sponge, and she was quick to set the drink back down with a pleased sound.

"Oh! That's lovely!" She gushed, "Thank you so much!"

She favored the man opposite her with a smile, "So do you think you can help me find what I'm looking for?"

"Oh I'm certain I can." He smirked as he leaned forward, "Just what was it you were trying to find?"

"Well-" Lucy began, and blinked a little as if her vision had suddenly gone blurry, "Oh... that's strange..."

"Are you alright miss?" The man asked with such false, sugary, concern it made her teeth ache.

"Oh yes, of course." She smiled, making a show of attempting to straighten herself up, "I was going to ask if you could help me find..."

She swayed again, and stumbled to her feet, "What's wrong?" She breathed breathlessly, silently thinking she should get an award for this acting, "Everything's fuzzy..."

It took all her will not to react as she 'fainted' dead away, and even more not to brace herself for an impact with the ground. Fortunately she needn't have worried. The strong arms of the waiter snapped around her waist before she hit.

Lucy let her weight go limp and dead in the waiters hold, her head rolling backwards.

It was a struggle not to react as she was picked up and carried off by the men. So far, everything was going according to her plan.

As she was dragged, none too gently into the back room, they began to speak freely now that they believed she was unconscious.

"It's a shame we can't sell this one. She'd fetch a lot. Did ya see her?" The man she had been speaking to before was patting her down as he spoke, and Lucy tried very hard not to react to his lingering touches.

They certainly patted with too much thoroughness at her bosom, and Lucy had to fight the very real impulse to kick at him. His touches were hard and unfamiliar. Cold.

They were completely different from Natsu's hands, which felt strong and sure. Confident in a way that left him gentle, warm in a way no other man could match, and lingering in a way that left her aching for more.

Luckily the men pulled away after not finding much on her, their voices loud and unhindered by their audience.

"We gotta turn her over for the shipment. Bora's fallen behind on his most recent shipment, guess not even using Salamander's name is giving him enough revenue," He grunted, "Every head we get has gotta go towards the dark wizard."

Lucy remained limp and pliable as they trussed her up and prepared her for transportation. The whole time they talked about how much profit they were losing off her by sending her to Zeref instead of selling her. The conversation made her want to retch, and she had to carefully swallow back bile. To these men she was nothing more than an object. A thing. She had no feelings or desires of her own so far as they were concerned, and everything in her screamed furiously that she show them just how much of a person she was. Until they were black and blue.

It was disgusting, and she suddenly had a lot more sympathy for the noble girls she'd met over the years who had been put into arranged marriages. Her father had never done that, and the one time someone had tried to approach him with such an offer he'd flatly refused unless she was happy with the match.

It had been a short lived proposal.

However, she shoved her disgust down as they moved her to a wagon and covered her, lamenting they couldn't even take a taste of her 'goods' the whole way. She'd known what these people were going to be like the moment she'd come up with her plan, and nothing had changed.

She just hoped she could keep up her acting long enough to get into the warehouse and put with the others. Because if she heard, or felt, much more she was going to lose it.

Luckily the trip was relatively short and though it was hot in the wagon neither man was able to molest her during it.

The arrival at the warehouse, however, was a much nearer thing.

The transition to shade was noticeable, and she quickly made sure she was still relaxed, but she could hear the rattle of chains and the whimpering cries of women in distress. Her heart broke and bled for them as her imagination supplied her with all kinds of horrifying causes for those soft cries, and she unconsciously tensed for a fight as the blanket was whisked off.

"Pretty one ya got here, an' looks like she's startin' to come around," a new voice drawled out, "It's a shame she's gonna fall in love with a rugged handsome fella like me. I can't let Lord Zeref know!"

Lucy resisted the urge to spasm when large hands grabbed her and hoisted her into the air.

Lucy's eyes fluttered open to take stock of her surroundings and found she was being carried by a large man with wild black hair as they roamed into a familiar warehouse. Though, for a mercy, there was no sign of the horrors she'd been imagining being visited upon the women around them. There was distress, oh my yes, but of the more ordinary kind. She prayed with all her might that was the only kind they were dealing with, and vowed that it would be the only kind they suffered from here on out.

She glanced up, and nearly grinned as she caught sight of something red flickering like flames at the top of the roof before it was snuffed out.

Natsu.

Immediately, she felt at ease, knowing her partner was nearby and out of his cuffs. He would no doubt be riding out hard to get to the tracks since night was falling, but he knew where she was now.

That alone made her feel a mountain of relief.

She quickly closed her eyes again as she was shifted, making soft sounds like she was starting to come to, but as she was sat down and opened her eyes again her scream of surprise was not feigned at all.

Staring down at her was a man that was at least twice the size of Gajeel, but looked like he'd been made out of badly molded dough. He was even a powder white.

"Oh look she's awake!" The man exclaimed happily and grinned as he clapped chains on her, ordinary non-magic suppressing ones she noted with relief, "You stay here and be good okay?" He asked as he patted her on the head as if she was some kind of puppy, "I know I'm irresistible, but I've got work to do before I take you and your friends to Master Zeref."

Lucy blinked at him, completely at a loss for what to say. Was this guy serious? Surely he didn't think she would act up because she... the very thought made her shudder.

This guy was like Loke only worse. At least Loke was _actually_ handsome even if he wasn't her type.

Thankfully it didn't seem he expected a response as he ponderously turned around and lumbered into another part of the warehouse. She shook her head a little and looked over at the nearest slaves, who were staring sorrowfully at her.

"It's going to be alright." She murmured to them.

They glanced at each other for a moment and one shook her head while she turned away. The other reached over and tentatively laid her hand on Lucy's arm.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, "I really am. None of us will survive this, but your fate will be the worst. All the pretty ones like you..."

Lucy shook her head firmly, "You don't understand." She said softly, casting a wary eye over to their guard, "It _will_ be alright. My friends and I will make sure of it."

* * *

 **Alright guys Mslead here! Here is your sneak for the last chapter of Act 2! After that we're on the count down of Act 3 which is the finale of our story! So stay tuned we're on the downhill slope starting Sunday! As always thanks for your reviews! You keep us going!**

* * *

 _Loke nodded and swept into a bow before Lucy, "Be careful princess."_

 _He smirked at a bit of the stink eye Natsu gave him before he disappeared in a flash of light._

 _Lucy turned her attention to the rest of the people gathered around, and she clasped her hands together, "Please listen to Natsu. He'll be able to take you safely away. Just do your best, alright?"_

 _Natsu took a deep breath, stepping forward. He could feel Lucy's eyes on him, imploring him to put these people's minds at ease. She seemed totally at ease with her trust that he would do precisely that. Humans in a crowd like this had always unnerved him, always made him uneasy. But they were scared, and Lucy was counting on him to help._

 _He turned to them, groping for the words to say despite not really good at speaking._

 _Instead he lifted his head and smiled._

 _"Follow us and you'll be safe! You're goin' home."_

 _There was a moment of silence following his simple pronouncement, but gradually smiles began appearing on faces as people began to process his words. Smiles that held excitement and an eagerness that hadn't been there before._

 _Lucy had said the same, and had kindled their hope, but the same words spoken with such confidence by her man had them starting to really believe it. Lucy smiled proudly at him, which made him want to puff his chest out and roar, before leaning over to give him a quick kiss._

 _"Come join me when you're done." She breathed, "I want to fight with you for a change."_


	27. Tall Hog at the Trough

**Hey guys! Kytrin here with your new chapter of Wild Aces! Alas it's not the lemon I know some of you are drooling for lol. Not yet. That's next chapter! For now, I hope you enjoy the conclusion of Lucy's sojourn into undercover work!**

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 **CHAPTER 27**

 _ **Tall Hog at the Trough**_

 _Superior, outstanding, exudes leadership._

* * *

The sun was sinking well into the horizon by the time Natsu met back up with Levy and Gajeel. His teeth grit together as he pulled on Happy's reins, "Whoa buddy!"

The horse galloped to a slow halt in front of Gajeel who stood by the railroads with his arms crossed and looking severe.

"They got her?" Gajeel asked, taking one look at Natsu's face.

A scowl darkened Natsu's expression as he swung a leg down off Happy and landed heels first in a crouch by his side. He growled unpleasant things under his breath but nodded.

"Don't worry Natsu," Levy patted the back of Natsu's shoulder in consolation. Her eyes were filled with sympathy, "Lucy is strong and very capable. If they were worth the pity, I'd almost feel bad for the jerks she's going to pull apart."

She clucked her tongue at Happy, her small hands lifting to pull at his reins and guide him over to where Lily was resting. The dark horse gave Levy an affectionate nudge with his snout and she laughed, peppering a small kiss between his eyes.

Gajeel rolled his eyes at the display and shook his head, "Oi Levy, what did I tell ya 'bout spoilin' my horse?"

She just laughed and waved before settling the horses down.

Natsu snorted and shook his head a little as he turned his attention back to the task at hand, "Dunno why she picked _your_ ugly face, but you're damn lucky." He muttered, "She'll be good for the nest too."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at his brother's hunched back, but didn't do anything except move up beside him and cross his arms, "Yeah."

It was clear Natsu was spoiling for a fight, so he held his tongue against anything else that might set off his volatile brother. It wasn't like the runt was wrong anyway. He glanced at the horizon, and felt a surge of gratitude that the town was still so close, if just out of sight. If everything went well they'd be back in town with no one the wiser before the moon set.

It was even luckier they'd found such a good spot for this without having to look very far. A well timed explosion just as the train appeared would crack a large rock formation at its weakest point. Natsu was confident it would topple over the tracks, probably destroying them, but they'd prepared secondary explosives just in case. Natsu was taking _no_ chances this train could get away easily.

Gajeel wouldn't have been surprised if his brother had even wired the tracks behind the train as a precaution. It's something he would've done too.

Just then a steady puff of steam appeared on the horizon and his eyes narrowed, "Get ready." He rumbled, "It's comin'."

He felt more than saw Natsu tense, but he thought he saw a glimpse of relief on his brother's face as he hunkered down, his fingers hovering over the trigger.

Gajeel didn't blame him one bit.

Both watched tensely as the train chugged forward, the old familiar thrill surging through them as Natsu picked his moment and mashed the trigger that set off the explosions.

The rocks exploded, collapsing in a wave of heat right over the twisted remains of the track. A local charge exploded, causing the train to screech and shudder to a stop.

This was it.

"Think that was a big enough signal to Lucy?" Natsu asked, looking just a hair concerned.

Levy exchanged a perplexed look with Gajeel and shook her head. Had he really wanted to make the explosion _larger_?

"I think she got the picture, Salamander," Gajeel grunted back at his brother, mashing his hat lower across his eyes.

"Now let's get your sweetheart back, huh?" He cackled, sweeping over to where the horses had rested and whistling for Lily's attention. To the horses credit, they hadn't even flinched at the sound of explosions.

They were far too used to things blowing up around them.

Natsu nodded and nearly leapt onto Happy as the blue roan trotted over eagerly, "C'mon Happy!" He called, "Fly!"

The horse needed no encouragement as he leapt forward, galloping down the hill and towards the train as fast as he could move. And Lily wasn't far behind him. Even carrying double as he was the larger horse was keeping pace with Happy with ease. The two glanced at each other as they ran, and seemed to nearly read each other's minds as they moved in sync and pulled up parallel to the train.

Natsu didn't even bat an eye as he leapt off, leaving Happy to peel off, followed closely by Gajeel.

"Just about half the damn train's cargo." Natsu muttered irritably, "No tellin' where Lucy is."

Gajeel nodded, "Gonna have to do this the hard way then." He replied, "You head back an' I'll head front."

"Right." Natsu agreed and began running lightly over the cars towards the back of the train, trying to ignore the way his heart seemed to have lodged itself somewhere in his throat. He needed to get Lucy back. And he needed her unhurt so he could kiss her senseless and then turn her over his knee for scaring him so badly.

That was the only thought on his mind as he dropped down to the caboose and pushed his way inside. He crept through the first couple of cars warily, alert for any sign of Hades' men, but there was no sign of anyone over the scent of iron and steel until he got to the third car in.

There were people in this one. That was painfully obvious the moment he entered. Unfortunately, there wasn't any light in this car either, which made it hard to see.

He tensed as he heard them moving around him only to snarl furiously when he was roughly grabbed from behind.

"None of that now Salamander." A sneering voice said as a light lacrima flared, revealing Natsu had inadvertently walked right into an ambush, "You'll want to behave." The man said, holding up a lacrima that showed Gajeel and Levy in a similar situation, "Otherwise something might happen to the pretty little thing accompanying Black Steel."

Natsu stilled, his eyes narrowing at the sight of magical bindings on the two. Gajeel looked furious, his eyes mere pinpricks as he strained against the cuffs behind his back. His eyes were locked on Levy, who was being held captive with a knife held to her slender throat.

To her credit, she wasn't even flinching.

But Natsu knew one movement in the wrong direction could easily see his brother's queen bleeding out.

His eyes sharpened, sight growing more focused in the darkness. His bared his teeth, and held still instead of shaking off the man holding him.

"That's a good boy," the man smirked at him, and Natsu gasped when he felt magical cuffs clasp shut around his wrists. His inner flames felt like they were being snuffed out and his knees wobbled.

"Acnologia was right, he does have a soft spot for the girl. It was a good thing he told us what to expect," He jeered to his listening men.

Natsu was pushed forward, his breathing heavy as he listened. Acnologia? The shadow of his brother. He had been following their progress this whole time? Natsu felt a chill in his very spirit.

Acnologia had eyes everywhere. Like some kind of boogeyman. And he knew about Lucy.

Or at least enough about her to know she was traveling with him... he squinted at Levy who was keeping very quiet.

But it seemed Acnologia didn't know everything. Not if these men were unaware that Levy was also with them. If Acnologia didn't know about Fairy Tail that could be an advantage.

Unfortunately, it was one that was useless to them at the moment as Acnologia's men erupted into raucous laughter.

"So what do we do with this pretty little bit?" One of the men purred leeringly at Levy and reached over to caress her cheek, an action that grew growls from both Natsu and Gajeel, "She looks like she could be a lot of fun."

"Let her go." The, apparent, leader snapped, "We have our orders. The woman is to be left free and unmolested in exchange for their word they won't fight us and the woman won't attempt a rescue."

Natsu's eyes widened a fraction, and he silently cursed his brother for putting them in a position where they'd have to give their word. However... He met Gajeel's eyes and read the same thought in them. They would be bound by their word, but Levy wasn't a celestial wizard. She didn't have to keep any promises. Nor would Lucy, who wouldn't have even given her word to begin with.

It didn't hurt that these idiots apparently didn't realize just who, or what, they were dealing with.

A faint smirk briefly crossed his lips before he ducked his head and sighed, "I won't fight this." He growled reluctantly, rattling his cuffs pointedly.

It was a bit vague perhaps, but he hoped when the contract settled on him it would infer his captivity without anything else. Because he would dearly love the chance to turn each one of these assholes into ash.

It seemed to satisfy them enough when they gave their word, their own contracts settling into place as they were bound by their word.

Natsu eyed the magical artifacts his captors had on their person, knowing he could probably take them out if he was able to get enough leverage on them.

Unfortunately he wasn't able to at the time being. But that didn't mean he had to stay by the sidelines entirely.

They still had an ace up the sleeve with Levy, who was being released now, and if he could still find Lucy somehow... They stood a chance.

He gave his brother one last look before the lacrima was cut off hoping Gajeel would be able to pick up on the threads Natsu had.

Getting out of his cuffs was going to be tricky without his magic..

He was shoved forward, ignoring the slight chill he felt over being so cut off from his flames, and pushed into a carriage full of people, his sensitive nose practically recoiling at the scent of so many people crammed in one place.

He glanced around and felt his blood boil at the sight of so many haggard and tired faces staring back at him.

He grit his fangs as he was shoved unceremoniously into the throng and stumbled against the other captives. Somewhat to his surprise, hands quickly caught him and steadied him. He turned around to glower at his captors, but they just smirked back at him.

"Enjoy your trip boy." The leader sneered, "It'll be the last one you make."

Natsu growled darkly at them, but they just laughed and slammed the door shut.

He made a motion to rush the door anyway, just to vent his fury if nothing else, when a slender hand grabbed hold of his arm. He looked down in surprise to find himself staring at a haggard woman he'd never seen before.

"Please sir." She whispered, "Are you the one called Natsu?"

"I..." Natsu choked a little, confused why this woman was asking, "Yes. How'd you know?"

The eyes around him widened and the woman sucked in a breath, "Lady Lucy told us." She replied, "The man named Natsu would have pink hair. You were supposed to rescue us."

Natsu gaped a little. Lucy had told them that? And described him? Somehow in his imaginings of how this would go that had never crossed his mind. Of course being captured hadn't crossed his mind _either_ so he supposed he shouldn't be too surprised. However, before he could marshal his thoughts the woman curled her hand around his wrist, a determined gleam in her eyes, and tugged.

"Come." She half demanded, and began pulling him further into the thong, "You must see Lady Lucy at once!"

Natsu let out a surprised sound at being manhandled by someone less than half his weight, but followed eagerly. If his luck was really good enough that Lucy was actually in this car then he was hardly going to complain.

It turned out his luck wasn't that good, but it hardly mattered. Whispers were running ahead of them, clearing open a path as hands upon hands swallowed him up in their ranks and guided him from one car to another.

Quietly, the prisoners were smuggling him to Lucy. Natsu could hardly believe it when the realization shook through him.

Lucy had given them hope, and suddenly he was gripped with the somewhat humbling thought of what one person by herself had done in just a few hours.

Natsu's brow furrowed guiltily as he thought about how his family lived. They were powerful, certainly, but they took to survive. They kept to themselves and lived by old draconian laws.

It was true his family didn't care much for humans. But as he was shepherded and lost in the crowd of people who were placing their hope in not just Lucy, but him as well... He felt his gut clench.

Was this what guilds did for people?

At that moment the crowd around him shifted to reveal a small open space where Lucy was standing, talking to a couple of people who seemed stronger and healthier than the others. One had enough of a military bearing to make Natsu think he might've been part of the army.

"Are you certain Lady Heartfilia?" The man was asking as he was guided through.

"Yes." Lucy replied confidently, and Natsu had to pause for a moment and admire just how beautiful confidence looked on her. It had been something that, while not precisely lacking, had not been nearly as clear in recent days.

The movement near him must've caught her eye because she turned and relief crossed her face, "Natsu!" She breathed and rushed over to hug him tightly for a moment, "The others sent word you'd been captured. What happened?"

Natsu stared at her for a moment, his tongue refusing to work as he drank in the sight of her standing there whole and unharmed. It had worked. Her mad gamble had worked and she'd come through unscathed. Giddy relief surged through him as she prodded at him a little and before she could react he looped his arms over her head and pulled her close.

"Don't ever scare me like that again." He growled softly, ignoring her squeak of surprise, and crashed his lips against hers in a passionate kiss.

Lucy gave a sudden sigh, shifting enough to press into his chest, lips curling into a smile at the feel of him against her. His lips against hers caused a sort of tingling sensation to seep through her bones, and his grip on her was firm enough that she was secure against his firm body.

He kissed her like he was a man deprived of light and she was the sun, and for a moment Lucy forgot they were in the middle of a carriage full of people. There was just Natsu, with his warm arms and his hungry kiss planted against her.

They pulled away after a moment that seemed to stretch on until they were breathless and mouths were a little bruised. Natsu dropped his forehead against hers and breathed in her scent steadily.

"We got caught," He said as way of explanation, "Acnologia was a step ahead of us. But we're not completely screwed. Think ya can get these cuffs off me?"

Lucy nodded, "Mest here can do it." She replied, gesturing to the military man from earlier, "He's a Rune Knight but he's got some interesting skills."

Natsu looked over at the man sharply and Mest tipped his head, "A pleasure makin' your acquaintance Salamander." He drawled with a faint smirk, "Lady Heartfilia here's been tellin' me quite a bit about you. Though she didn't mention your other name."

Natsu tensed warily, but Mest merely cocked his head slightly, "As I understand it, we've got you to thank for helping to unravel this whole mess and reveal Zeref's involvement." He stepped up to them, meeting Natsu's eyes steadily, "If this keeps up you an' the rest of your family might just earn yourselves pardons. As long as you keep your noses clean in the future."

With both the implied reward and threat dangling Mest bent his attention to the cuffs and in moments they clicked free and dropped to the floor.

"Alright." Lucy breathed, deciding to ignore the byplay for the moment, "You can't do much while you're crammed in here with the rest of us cuffs or not." She told Natsu, "So you help Mest break these people out and get them to safety." She smirked, "I'll deal with Acnologia's goons until you're done."

"But how Miss Lucy?" One of the nearby women asked.

Lucy's smirk widened, "Loke!" She called in response, "Change of plans."

"So I see Miss Lucy." Loke purred as he stepped lightly through his gate and handed her keys over, "What would you have me do?"

"See if you can find Levy and help her escape or back her up." Lucy replied promptly, "If they got Natsu it's a fair bet they got Gajeel. I imagine he can take care of himself, but Levy'll need some raw power."

There was a flash of light around her and abruptly she was wearing a dress imprinted with Virgo's sign, "I'll deal in some distraction in the meantime."

"Give Levy a little bit of credit Lucy," Natsu smirked and rubbed his wrist, his eyes casting over the unusual gown she was wearing. It looked like some sort of maid outfit, "She's tough enough to handle my brother. She'll be fine."

Lucy leveled him with an amused look and nodded, "You're right, but a little extra help won't hurt either of them. Besides, if Gajeel is cuffed too he's going to need a bit of help getting out of his locks."

Loke nodded and swept into a bow before Lucy, "Be careful princess."

He smirked a bit at the stink eye Natsu gave him before he disappeared in a flash of light.

Lucy turned her attention to the rest of the people gathered around, and she clasped her hands together, "Please listen to Natsu. He'll be able to take you safely away. Just do your best, alright?"

Natsu took a deep breath, stepping forward. He could feel Lucy's eyes on him, imploring him to put these people's minds at ease. She seemed totally at ease with her trust that he would do precisely that. Humans in a crowd like this had always unnerved him, always made him uneasy. But they were scared, and Lucy was counting on him to help.

He turned to them, groping for the words to say despite not really good at speaking.

Instead he lifted his head and smiled.

"Follow us and you'll be safe! You're goin' home."

There was a moment of silence following his simple pronouncement, but gradually smiles began appearing on faces as people began to process his words. Smiles that held excitement and an eagerness that hadn't been there before.

Lucy had said the same, and had kindled their hope, but the same words spoken with such confidence by her man had them starting to really believe it. Lucy smiled proudly at him, which made him want to puff his chest out and roar, before leaning over to give him a quick kiss.

"Come join me when you're done." She breathed, "I want to fight with you for a change."

With that she stepped away and before his astonished eyes spun around tightly in place, like a top, and crashed through the bottom of the car as easily as if she was cutting butter.

"Impressive." Mest muttered, peering into the tunnel beyond for a moment before looking up, "Alright people, I need you to group together in small groups of no more than ten! Make sure you're holding onto each other or you'll be left behind."

Natsu frowned and was about to ask why when Mest dropped a hand on his shoulder. Before he could ask what the hell was going on there was a topsy turvy sensation and suddenly he was standing outside facing the car.

"What the hell?"

"My magic is teleportation magic." Mest explained crisply, "Now, I need you to get these car doors open and get these people moving that way." He pointed towards the bluff he and Gajeel had used, "The closer they get on their own the better. Got it?"

"Yeah, I gotcha." Natsu snorted and marched up to the car they'd just been in. He dropped his hand on the padlock holding it shut and gleefully melted it off. He slid the door open, enjoying the look of excitement on the people's faces as they breathed fresh air for the first time in too long, and moved immediately on to the next car while Mest began giving directions.

He went systematically down the line, sometimes hopping inside the carriage when it meant helping someone who was too weak or injured to get out on their own.

There was a crunch of twisting metal further up the line, followed by a bright flash of light and a sudden lightening strike from the sky itself. He smirked wide, pleased his brother and Levy were out of harm's way. Now he just had to find wherever Lucy had burrowed her way to.

He lifted his nose to the sky, sniffing for her unique scent among the chaotic mess around him. He managed to just pick up a hint of it further along the front of the train and he nodded, sprinting off towards it.

He didn't have to guess her exact location for long though. Shortly after he'd passed Gajeel and Levy the side of one of the passenger cars near the front exploded outward in a shower of splinters, glass, and metal. Somewhat alarmed he sped up just in time to see a couple of men go flying under the force of a wave of earth.

A wicked grin split his face involuntarily as he caught sight of Lucy herself, in the more familiar cow dress she'd worn when they fought what felt like a lifetime ago now. Magnificent. Utterly magnificent. His blood warmed as his instincts purred hotly over the sight of her fighting so powerfully, and he sped up again eager to join her.

"Lucy!" He called as soon as he was in shouting range, and his heart leapt at the grin she flashed him.

"It's about time!" She called back as she dodged a spell of some kind, "There're a lot more of these jerks than I thought!"

"I'll help ya even things out!" Natsu growled eagerly as his fist erupted into flames.

"What?" The leader he recognized from before yelped, "But you can't! You promised! Acnologia said you were bound by your word!"

"Shoulda read between the lines buddy." Natsu smirked, "I said I wouldn't fight captivity. There wasn't anything in there about not fighting once I was free."

Natsu lunged forward, twisting his body enough to grab the shoulder of a man getting too close to Lucy with a flaming hand. He sent them flying back into his comrades, straightening up with a grin and his thumb brushing across his nose.

"Miss me ma'am?" Natsu asked Lucy with a coy grin. Her smile only spread and her eyes rolled towards the sky.

"Maybe I did cowboy, what's it to ya?" She flashed her whip into the ground, taking out the legs from the people under their bodies.

They collapsed into the pit she cut, while Natsu made a noise cut between a growl and a roar of laughter.

"Careful miss Lucy, or you'll start losin' that fancy upbringin' of yours," Natsu flashed her a wicked grin and let his flames lick up his arms.

He cocked a head at her encouragingly, "You ready?"

Lucy nodded and as one they tore into the remaining dark wizards. Not that there was much left. Between them, Gajeel, and Levy all resistance pretty much buckled once the leader was taken out. Not long after that Mest put on his Rune Knight persona and took charge of the civilians while he contacted backup.

"They'll be here shortly." He huffed as the lacrima darkened, and gave Natsu and Gajeel a long look before sighing and shaking his head, "Get lost you four." He grumbled, "And take your horses with you."

"Ah..." Lucy began, but Mest flashed her a smirk and shook his head again.

"Relax. If I find out anything about what you were looking for I'll let you know, but it'll take a couple days at least to process everything here." He rubbed his wrist ruefully, "I owe you at least that much Miss Heartfilia."

He jerked his head at the horses, "Now scat before I have to arrest your lover."

Lucy smiled at him and curled her hand in Natsu's, "Thank you Mest."

The man just shrugged, but there was a fond smile curling his lips as he turned away to deal with an argument erupting in a nearby throng of people. Lucy shook her head and tugged Natsu over to Happy, "Let's go. You and I have unfinished business."

Natsu's eyes nearly glowed at the reminder and he growled darkly as he swung into the saddle and pulled her up in front of him, "Yes." He purred into her ear, "We do."

* * *

 _ **Alas no preview for you guys this time! We only got 29 of the 30 reviews required for one. I suppose last chapter just wasn't as exciting as some of the others lol. Regardless, I want to give a massive shout out to everyone who DID leave us a review! You guys are awesome, and we love you all to bits! See you all on Sunday my loves!**_


	28. Pony Up

_**WARNING: There is explicit material in this chapter. Most of this chapter really, so keep an eye out for our purity marks, '####' for those who want to skip it.**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 28**

 ** _Pony Up_**

 _Hurry up!_

* * *

The ride back into town was tense. It wasn't that hard for them to slip out, but with the train causing so much trouble it had attracted a lot of attention even from the distance. They had to lead their horses back into town on foot. Their steps light and quick.

It hadn't been hard for them to manage and evade any prying eyes, everyone too distracted by the plumes of fire in the distance to give them more than a cursory look. Which was a good thing considering they wore the signs of their battle very obviously.

It was with great relief that they managed to make their way to the inn, sneak upstairs and escape into their rooms. Gajeel as it turned out was wholly uninterested in talking about what happened, hoisting Levy up over his shoulder in such a pointed way not even Natsu had anything to say about it.

Lucy gave him a curious look, but her mouth dried when the reason he hadn't said anything about Gajeel's eagerness to cart Levy away was apparent on his face.

Natsu only had eyes for her.

Even Lucy could tell as much by the intensity behind his gaze when he slowly closed the door behind them. His thumb threw the latch on the door, deadbolt sliding into place. His head cocked towards her and his expression darkened.

"The handcuffs weren't very nice," His voice was silky soft, but Lucy could imagine the cold edge of a knife hidden in the velvety folds of his words.

She could hear the danger in his voice and the warning they presented, and it caused a shiver to race down her spine.

He pulled out the cuffs from where he'd tucked them in his belt and let them swing ominously from one finger as he prowled closer, "Not very nice at all."

####

He watched Lucy visibly tear her eyes away from the swinging bits of metal and open her mouth, but quickly laid a finger across her lips.

"No talking." He rumbled sharply, enjoying the way she shivered at his tone, and slid around behind her, "Now... you shoulda realized this sooner, but dragons give as good as they get." He leaned in and ran his fangs along the delicate skin of her neck while he grabbed her unresisting wrists, "And I owe you a lot."

He paused for a moment to make sure she wasn't going to object, and smirked at the slightly dazed look in her eyes. That wasn't going to last long. His smirk widened into something positively wicked as he clacked the cuffs around her wrists, jolting her out of her daze.

"Natsu?" Lucy asked with uncertainty as she looked over her shoulder at him, and he reminded himself that no matter what else she _was_ still virgin.

"We're gonna play a little game princess." He purred at her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms, "It'll end when you say stop." He moved around to her front so she could see him better, "Now, I'm gonna do somethin' to ya. If you don't like it you end the game. Got it?"

He would, of course, be keeping a sharp eye on her reactions himself. He didn't want to push her past what she was ready for, but oh she definitely deserved a little erotic payback. He started by sliding his hands over her shoulders and down to her breasts to gently caress their sides before curling his hands around the front and squeezing.

Lucy gave a sharp gasp, her hips pressing back into him. The tension spilled out of her shoulders, body relaxing against him until she was happily pliable in his hold.

He pressed a light, biting kiss into the hollow of her throat, tongue swiping over the reddened skin.

He enjoyed the way she tasted, supporting her easily as she gasped, twisted and buckled under his hands. Natsu bent at the knees, hooking a hand under her knees and lifting her up easily to his chest.

He deposited her onto their bed, following after her with a lazy smile decorating his face. Lucy didn't buy it for even a second.

She could see the predatory glitter in his eyes, restrained only by his desire to be gentle with her. Lucy's heart thumped with desire, licking her lips when she watched him crawl forward.

Her captive wrists jingled together, squirming with heat at the feel of Natsu hands on her over her clothes. There was a frustrating pressure building between her legs and Lucy was unashamed to admit she keened when he drew in closer.

"No complaints so far Miss Lucy?" He purred, voice dripping in a way that was so seductive it really wasn't fair.

"I'm not afraid of a grumpy dragon," Lucy breathed past a defiant smile.

"That so?" Natsu rumbled challengingly, a trail of smoke sliding from the corner of his mouth.

Then in a swoop, he descended against her, his mouth crashing into hers in a kiss so scorching she felt her toes curl and body twist. It was as if her clothes itched, her body eager to shed the many layers she wore.

Natsu growled into the kiss, his tongue teasing her lips until they parted in a breathy moan. He hastily swallowed the moan and slid his tongue into her mouth. He couldn't help smirking a little around the heat boiling in his blood at the way she bucked against him in surprise. Clearly Lucy had never been properly kissed.

He purred a little at the thought he would get to teach her and redoubled his efforts as he rocked and pulled against her lips, showing her what to do.

It seemed she was a quick study as it didn't take long before she was giving as good as she got, and it took Natsu several minutes to gather his wits enough to pull away.

"You sure you ain't done this before?" He teased roughly, enjoying how thoroughly mussed she looked.

He didn't wait for a response as he rubbed his hands against her breasts again and moved to the center knot that held her corset together. He eyed her for a moment, but all she did was press into his hands with a pleading whine.

"Please Natsu!" She begged, "I want it off!"

Fresh heat tore through him at those words and he quickly tugged the knot loose, "Yes ma'am."

He traced a careful line of heat over her shoulders and arms, delicately burning the dress open so he could pull it down.

"I liked that dress Natsu!" Lucy complained breathlessly as he ran his hands and lips eagerly over her newly exposed skin.

"I'll get ya a new one princess." He mumbled as he resumed his work on her corset, his lips and tongue laving over the tops of her breasts until abruptly the whole thing popped free.

He silently thanked whatever gods there were that she hadn't worn nearly as many layers for her deception as she had to that party, and in moments he was feasting his eyes on her bare bosom. A truly appreciative growl erupted from him as he buried his face into it and sucked one of her nipples into his mouth.

Lucy let out a gasp, her wrists clanking together to try and lift between their bodies, only for Natsu's fingers to catch the chain and pull down.

He slowly looked up at her with burning eyes, his tongue flicking out between his lips, "None of that now princess..." He smirked at her, finger giving a wiggle at the locks to keep her hands pinned down, "Or didja forget you're supposed to be gettin' punished right now?"

His hands trailed down her stomach, greedy eyes caressing her. But his gaze travelled lower where her legs were spread to accommodate him.

Lucy gasped when he raised her hands to carefully hook the chain over one of the decorative carvings in the headrest.

"Natsu what're you doin'" She whimpered, her body feeling the loss of his heat like a physical ache. He was pulling further away, making her want to cry out for him. She bit her bottom lip, her neglected breasts thrumming from the memory of his large hands on them.

He gathered the bottom remains of her bustle, scooting it down her waist so he could get at her leggings. Slowly his gaze lifted to her face, his fingers curling into the laces in the front to tug them open and down her thighs.

Lucy gave no resistance, which she realized he was watching her for.

Her heart melted a little at that realization. No matter what he said he was still making sure she was alright with what he did. She smiled at him and nodded, even lifting her hips to help him remove the last bit of clothing hiding her from his sight. Her heart pounded as the cool night air caressed over her skin and she excitedly watched for his reaction.

It was true he'd seen quite a bit of this already, but never all of it, and never in this context. And suddenly she was anxious that he like what he saw.

She needn't have worried.

He raked his eyes slowly over her with a heat that was almost physical as he drank in the sight of her bare and flushed and eager for him.

"Beautiful." He growled thickly, absently shedding his clothes as he did and tossing them aside impatiently. He hissed a little as his pants opened and his aching need sprang free, but his eyes were pulled upwards when Lucy gasped a little.

He smirked a bit as he realized where her wide eyes were fastened, and slowly got up to strip off the rest of his clothes, "Like what you see princess?" He purred once he was done and crawled back over her, "It's all for you."

Lucy's mouth worked silently and he lowered his hips to rub enticingly against hers. Almost instinctively her legs spread open again, and the scent of her arousal, unhindered by clothes, hit him. He groaned a little at the intoxicating scent and pulled her close.

"So damn enticin'." He groaned into her skin, hissing in pleasure as he rubbed himself against her and peppered her body with kisses, nips, and licks.

She writhed and moaned against him as he slowly worked his way back down and nudged her legs further apart, but once he settled between them she shot him a confused look.

"Natsu... what're you-" She cut off with a surprised cry as he buried his nose in her core and trailed his scorching tongue over the sensitive flesh.

She gave out a shuddering cry, her back bowing at the feel of his hot mouth pressing into her most intimate place. She could feel the ravenous travel of his tongue through her folds, the heat of his breath and the maddening swirl of his tongue against her clit.

Her hands scrambled against their bounds, fingers desperate to dig into rosy locks.

"Na-" She gasped out, hips rolling up to press into his mouth. His eyes flashed up at her, not once stopping in his assault to slowly pick her apart. Lucy's breath shuddered in her chest.

She felt her control trickle away like water through cupped hands, his roughened fingers pressing into her stomach and thighs. At least until one drew towards her center, sliding higher from her thigh.

He dipped a finger into her heat, and Lucy made a strangled noise at the feeling of his thick finger curling into her, pressing into her walls and stroking just right.

Natsu shivered at the soft keening sound she made as he caressed her and gently stretched her. To his delight he could feel no maidenhead. Likely she'd lost it some time ago while horseback riding or similar. Which meant that if he was very careful he wouldn't hurt her at all.

A thought that pleased him mightily as he watched her face contorted in pleasure. He had no wish to see it twisted in pain. No matter how brief.

He rubbed and teased her tenderly as he reluctantly pulled away, eagerly licking the last bits of her sweet honey from his lips. His lips twitched faintly at the frustrated whine that erupted from her as he pulled back, and could tell by the way she was twitching she was very close.

"Don't fret princess." He growled thickly, "We ain't done yet."

He sat back on unsteady legs and snatched a bottle of oil from the complimentary tray the inn had left them. He quickly uncorked it and trailed a generous amount over himself.

The sight had Lucy staring at him with breathless awe. She knew what that meant. What he intended to do. And the thought made her ache and throb with an eagerness she didn't know she'd possessed.

She was already teetering on the edge of that glorious abyss he'd shown her before, and the thought of him replacing his fingers with _that_ had her whimpering encouragingly for him to hurry.

His eyes flicked over her hungrily at the sound and he nearly threw the bottle away from himself as he dropped back down to crawl back over her.

"You sure 'bout this Lucy?" He rumbled softly into her ear, "Ain't no turnin' back after."

"Please Natsu." She panted, "I want it. I need to feel you!"

He growled softly and wrapped her legs around him as he aligned himself and began to push slowly into her.

Just the feel of his tip slipping into her had him whimpering as the pleasure nearly overwhelmed him. How long had he ached for this? How long had he waited for this? He had no idea, and he didn't really care. All he cared about was mind blowing sensation of sinking into her silken folds.

He reached up blindly to grasp at Lucy's hands, tugging them off their hooked spot and bringing them down between their bodies.

As much as he wanted to give her a good punishment, he wouldn't deny her the chance to touch him for her first time. That would just be unspeakably cruel, he reached around to his abandoned holster, snagging the key looped around his belt to unlatch the lock.

His fingers tangled with Lucy's trembling hands before he fit the key in the lock and freed her hands. She wasted no time, much to his pleasure.

Her fingers jerked into his hair, pulling him fully forward to drag him into a ferocious kiss that left him seeing spots around his vision.

They pulled apart, breathing hard into the space between them. They met one another's eyes and for a moment a world of conversations flashed between them.

Natsu's hand grasped at her waist, his other hand sliding to her thigh and opening her up more securely to him. He slowly pressed into her, settling himself securely against her body and waiting.

The pleasure was indescribable. No woman had ever felt so good. So sweet. She gripped him tightly, hotter than his own fire, and he ached to move, but he held himself still. He would not rush her. Not this time. Maybe another time he could take her more roughly, but this time was for her. His precious queen.

The wait was torture however, and he buried his face in her shoulder, his fangs gritting tightly from the effort to keep still, until she suddenly rocked her hips a little against his. He looked up at her sharply and found her smiling back at him.

"It's alright." She soothed breathlessly, her expression a little glazed as she relaxed around him, "I'm alright."

She was better than alright actually.

She'd heard her entire life how the first time hurt, and had always had something of an aversion to the idea of sex because of it. No one had been worth the pain until Natsu. She'd just known that even if it hurt he would make it up to her. Make it worth it.

She'd never dreamed that he would enter her so gently that her 'pain' was little more than her muscles stretching. In the back of her mind she was certain she would be sore later, but for now she didn't care. She didn't hurt and she wanted him to make love to her properly.

She laughed happily as the look on his face morphed from surprise to boyish delight and straight to eager hunger as he shifted his weight and began slowly moving. The sensation was strange at first, but as he picked up speed Lucy couldn't hold back a moan. She wanted more of that!

"More!" She gasped incoherently, her back arching as she clung to him desperately.

Natsu grunted as her legs locked around him, her fingers scoring scratches along his back. His lips pulled back into a lusty snarl. Smoke fluttered out from his lips and filled the air around them with a heady scent.

He felt like he was bursting to capacity and about to unfold on himself. Everything within him ached.

He was certain he wouldn't last long. And with Lucy's body twitching around him, he was positive she wouldn't either.

He sped up, snapping his hips forward, Lucy's encouragement keening against his ear. He could feel the press of her breasts against his chest, each hard thrust drawing their bodies together.

He felt a delightful shudder ripple through Lucy and her head tipped back. Natsu watched her flushed face overcome with pleasure and her mouth growing slack. Whining noises bubbled from her mouth, her back arching and bowing. She ran her hands blindly over his chest, groping at his hard planes and muscled body, but her clumsy touches enflamed him.

He growled hotly as his tenuous control snapped and surged forward to claim her panting lips in a wild kiss, eagerly swallowing down every sound she made as he slammed into her desperately. His world reduced itself down to her, and the ever tightening coil of pleasure in his belly. He didn't want it to end, but at the same time he could feel it rushing towards him.

He didn't want to be the first to fall so he eagerly ran his hands over her body, delighting in how responsive she was as she matched him stroke for stroke.

How long they stayed like that he couldn't have said, but he felt the moment she suddenly stiffened up, and went absolutely still before suddenly shattering in his arms, waves of pleasure tearing over her form.

He gasped at the sight, his blood boiling even hotter at the sight and feel of her ultimate pleasure, pleasure _he_ had given her. He whined softly as his gut tightened even more before something snapped and his vision went white as waves of pleasure slammed into him unceasingly.

When he came to his senses he found himself half collapsed onto Lucy, their foreheads pressed together, and still joined. He smiled down at her as her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at him a little dazedly.

"Is it always like that?" She breathed, and he burst into helpless giggles.

"Somethin' tells me it might be with you princess." He cackled affectionately and kissed her forehead as he gently slipped out of her and settled to one side to snuggle up to her, "You're a wildcat in bed." He grinned, "An' I can't wait t' see you with more experience under your belt."

Lucy squirmed at the promise in his voice and the way he bent to run his lips over her throat. Her cheeks were rosy as she watched him. He bent away from her, swinging his legs out from the bed.

He got out of the bed, disappearing into their private bathroom to use a bit of water from a jug to dampen a wash linen. He returned a second later, spooning up behind Lucy to slide his warm hand between her legs.

His fingers massaged tenderly, cleaning up the mess they made together so she didn't have to lay in it. Natsu's teeth skimmed up along her ear and kissed at the back of her neck as he worked.

####

"Don't go thinkin' I'm done with ya, you ain't gonna get away without punishment," Natsu grinned, "I went real easy on ya."

The thickness of his accent sent a hungry shiver along her spine, making her turn towards him. Her heart thumped with excitement and nerves.

"Bring it on," Lucy turned towards him where he was wrapped around her, "I'm not scared of the big ol' dragon."

Natsu laughed, happiness and love overflowing in him despite his intentions. He didn't mind though. She was his queen, and there was absolutely no way he was letting her go now.

Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't play.

"That so?" He purred, a toothy grin curling around his lips as he levered himself up and half crawled half pounced on her, "I'll just have to show you how a drake deals with a naughty queen then."

He descended on her, his fingers digging into her sides, and couldn't help smiling as her laughter rang out. Yeah. That was more like it. And he was only getting started.

* * *

 _ **Hey everyone Mslead here! I was suffering through SNOWPOCLYPSE. We don't see the stuff here but man, it was rough for us here down south. We got a foot of snow. I've NEVER SEEN SO MUCH IN MY LIFE! Anyway, you guys blew it out of the water with your reviews! Here's your sneak peek! Thank you guys SOOO much for your support!**_

* * *

 _Elsewhere, Acnologia stared broodingly into the lacrima before him, uncaring about the time of day._

 _"Hades screwed the pooch Zeref." He growled darkly, "Between Heartfilia and her father they put together too much. Ain't a surprise it led 'em straight to Hargeon. An' those idiots I sent didn't help." He growled softly, "Did you find out how they screwed up?"_

 _"Yes." Zeref replied, a cold glance shifting off the screen for a moment, "It seems they neglected to pay attention to your warnings about celestials. Nor did they realize your brothers were traveling with not one but two women."_

 _Acnologia's eyes widened, "They what?!" He demanded, "Since when? Who's the other queen?"_

 _Zeref slid an amused glance towards Acnologia, his eyes dark like pitch and burning into him with an intensity not normal for a typical human. Acnologia merely met his stare with a flat one of his own, hardly intimidated._

 _"Why Acnologia, you're taking a surprising interest in the love life of your brothers," Zerefs voice was thick with amusement that left the dragon scowling._

 _As with most things, Zeref had a sharp edge hidden in his voice. Almost as though he knew things others didn't._

 _"It doesn't matter now, they have enough information to find us now if they were determined enough which we know to be true," Zeref continued lightly._

 _"It's time we put this game of chase to an end."_


	29. Tear Squeezer

**Morning my lovelies! Kytrin here with your update today. We're really sorry we didn't update yesterday like we should've. To be honest, there's no real excuse for it. We just straight up got caught up working on one of our current projects and forgot lol. That said, I hope the chapter itself makes up for it. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 29**

 _ **Tear Squeezer** _

_A sad story._

* * *

Lucy whined a little in protest as she slowly surfaced from sleep to find herself staring at a window that was _far_ too bright for her taste. She shifted to bury her face back into her pillow, and gasped a little as two things immediately registered. One, she was as bare as the day she was born. And two, that she was sore all over.

She sucked in a breath as the memories flooded back and she waited for her various muscles to stop screaming at her, particularly the ones between her legs. The pain, however, did not stop the warm smile from curling around her lips as she carefully shifted to look at her lover.

Who was staring back at her anxiously through sleep fogged eyes.

"You okay?" Natsu croaked, blearily reaching out for her, and Lucy felt her heart melt as she slid into his arms, "Did I hurt you?"

"Mmmm... just really sore is all." Lucy murmured in response, leaning close to press her lips gently against his, "I'm not really used to the kind of workout you gave me last night."

He chuckled a little at her, but a moment later she felt his body temperature rising as he gently rubbed his hands over her.

"I'll take care o' ya Lucy." He murmured as he gently massaged her, and she smiled back at him, hardly able to believe there had been a time when just his presence in the room had irritated her.

To be fair, she couldn't exactly blame herself for that thought as he did still irritate her on a daily basis. But now for certain she had a bit of affection with her exasperation of his antics. She watched him work and smiled softly. Maybe more than a bit.

He pulled her towards him, his knuckles ghosting into the muscles of her back to knead and press where she was tender. Lucy giggled when he peppered light kisses against the back of her neck, his smile pressing into her skin.

They could have stayed like that easily, Lucy relaxing into him as her body warmed and the soreness ebbed away. It would have been all too easy to spend the day locked away in their room.

But she knew just as much as he did that they had to keep working and moving.

Once her limbs had turned fully into fluffed sweets that could rival the kind her aunt made, Lucy twisted around to press her lips into Natsu's.

She pulled him towards her, encouraging him to shift his weight up and off the bed.

"Come on Natsu," she grinned when he whined in dismay, "We have to get up. Levy and your brother have waited quite a while now if the sun is creeping into our bedroom like this."

"But Luuuuucy!" Natsu pouted, only to be diverted as she crawled out of bed, seemingly not the least bit ashamed of her state of undress as she stretched.

"C'mon now." She smirked over her shoulder at him, "It's not that bad. And besides, you can't very well get a bath with me or eat if you stay here right?"

Natsu blinked a little at the implications as she walked into the bathroom, her hips swaying enticingly, only to tangle himself up in his sudden haste to get out of bed. He yelped a little as he got caught in the blankets and toppled to the floor with a thump.

Lucy turned to look at him and burst into laughter at the disgruntled expression on his face from where he'd landed. She walked back over to him and helped him untangle himself between giggles.

"Not quite what I had in mind when I envisioned you falling at my feet you know." She told him wryly as she helped him up, a grin playing at her lips.

Natsu huffed a little sulkily, but let himself be led into the bathroom with Lucy. His brother could wait a little longer.

-::-

Elsewhere, Acnologia stared broodingly into the lacrima before him, uncaring about the time of day.

"Hades screwed the pooch Zeref." He growled darkly, "Between Heartfilia and her father they put together too much. Ain't a surprise it led 'em straight to Hargeon. An' those idiots I sent didn't help." He growled softly, "Did you find out how they screwed up?"

"Yes." Zeref replied, a cold glance shifting off the screen for a moment, "It seems they neglected to pay attention to your warnings about celestials. Nor did they realize your brothers were traveling with not one but _two_ women."

Acnologia's eyes widened, "They what?!" He demanded, "Since when? Who's the other queen?"

Zeref slid an amused glance towards Acnologia, his eyes dark like pitch and burning into him with an intensity not normal for a typical human. Acnologia merely met his stare with a flat one of his own, hardly intimidated.

"Why Acnologia, you're taking a surprising interest in the love life of your brothers," Zerefs voice was thick with amusement that left the dragon scowling.

As with most things, Zeref had a sharp edge hidden in his voice. Almost as though he knew things others didn't.

"It doesn't matter now, they have enough information to find us now if they were determined enough which we know to be true," Zeref continued lightly.

"It's time we put this game of chase to an end. Laxus and Erik do not make for easy prisoners, and each time they attempt escape they put the plan in jeopardy. It's time we open the Eclipse Gate once and for all," Zeref's words caused a flare of hope to well in Acnologia's chest.

"My nest," He breathed.

"Mavis," Zeref echoed, a soft smile on his face. One which showed the genuine remnants of a broken heart.

"Don't forget Acnologia, with your siblings, we will finally be to harness the power of the Gate and go back in time," Zeref gave him a steady glare, "Now isn't the time for an unsteady hand. Not if we want to change the crimes of the past."

Acnologia flashed a glare back at him, unintimidated by the look he was getting, "Those bastards'll answer alright." He growled, "That ain't changed in four hundred years."

And maybe it would mess everything up so Anna, or his current siblings, are never born, but as painful as it was that was a price he was willing to pay. He would have his precious brothers and sisters back, and this whole miserable future without them would be erased.

Though that would hardly stop him from caring about his baby brothers and sister now. They were, after all, family. And if Zeref had a problem with that too damn bad. He would deal with this however he saw fit until all seven of his siblings were together and relieved of the stars their father had hidden in them.

He snorted a little as Zeref nodded, seemingly placated by his flash of anger, and shook his head. Draco had been cleverer than he'd imagined. The dragon spirit had actually figured out how to hide from him and Zeref in the human world. Though the process must've been excruciating.

He wondered idly if it would hurt putting himself back together to power the gate.

Either way he was resolved not to care. Draco was the reason this farce had dragged on for so long. He would not feel sorry for a father he'd long since lost respect for.

He shook his head a little and turned to stomp out of the room. He was getting broody just sitting here. Maybe some air would help clear things up.

Stuffing the darkening lacrima into his pocket now that his conversation with Zeref was over, he stepped out into the blinding Magnolia sun. Construction was moving along nicely, and he watched the bustling town expand.

He had stayed in this place far longer than he intended and Acnologia was becoming far more impressed with it the more he watched it unfold.

The humans were slow creatures but they showed a perseverance that he couldn't help but admire. Magnolia was becoming greener by the day now that it had joined the other town nearby, sprawling out and growing.

It really was beautiful.

Acnologia stepped slowly out onto a dusty road, edging by a number of people talking excitedly to one another.

There was a girl standing by a watering trough, long cut stemmed flowers in a basket looped under her arm. For a moment Acnologia merely observed her.

The flowers were pretty, if a bit foreign to him. He was unfamiliar with this species from his long sleep, but the flower had white petals that reminded him of rarely seen snow. He approached the little girl, his eyes turning towards the tiny figure with dirty feet and wide eyes. She looked so small and frail, but her cheeks were rosy and happy.

Wordless, she held up a crooked looking flower to him and flashed him to wide smile. He noted she was missing a couple of baby teeth and his lips quirked at the corner.

Amused, he reached into his pocket, accepting the flower, "How much?"

The girl shook her head, braided pigtails flopping along her cheeks, "No money sir! You just looked sad!" She said cheerfully and moved on.

Thoughtful, he studied the flower between his fingers. It was pretty, but slightly rumpled from being in the girl's hands.

And it reminded him of Anna.

He sniffed it, the sweet scent making him bite back a purr. He looked down at the hatchling and smiled a little at her, "Thank you little one."

The girl beamed back at him and scampered off to sell or give more of her pretty flowers away. He chuckled a little at the sight, silently envying her youthful energy, and stared at the flower again. It really did remind him of Anna, and his heart ached to see her again before everything changed.

He looked up, gazing down the street that would take him to Anna's house, and sighed as his feet began walking without any conscious control on his part. Though he made the trip with some trepidation. Anna had, after all, made her position on his secrets very clear. She might not want to see him when he was still unwilling to tell the truth.

Still, seeing her for a moment would do much to ease the ache, and he could at least give her his flower.

Maybe it wasn't much, but it was all he had at the moment.

A few minutes later he found himself standing outside her door trying to muster the courage to knock. Was she even home? He couldn't tell, and she was often off doing things during the day. He raised his hand, feeling somewhat stupid, and tapped on the door.

To his relief he picked up the sound of someone moving suddenly and footsteps rushing for the door. She'd probably been absorbed in one of her books then. The knowledge brought a small half smile to his face just as the door was flung open.

She nearly walked directly into his chest, her squeak filling in the space between them loud enough to make him hum in amusement.

Anna stumbled back, juggling a thick looking book and almost falling over her heavy skirts until Acnologia caught her by the elbow.

"Ah!" Her cheeks reddened at the sight of him, her lips parting in a way he found most delightful. A smile spread over her face when she saw him, one he couldn't help but reflect. If in a more restrained way.

"Acnologia, you're back," She breathed, her eyes looking a tad bright.

"Aye, I am Anna," He acknowledged, his fingers rolling the stem of the flower before he lowered his gaze and quietly offered it to her.

In truth, he hadn't gone farther than down the road from her.

He found purposes for him to stay in Magnolia for the smallest of reasons but he knew the truth. He hadn't wanted to leave Anna. He wanted to watch over her.

She was a small sliver of warmth in the darkness he had faced since his nest was killed. And he was selfish enough not to want to part from her.

"Thank you." She murmured as she gently took his offered flower, her fingertips brushing his as she did so, "Would you like to come in? I've got a honey cake just about to come out of the oven..."

He looked up at her in mild surprise and met her gaze. Entire conversations passed between them as he read her, determination, and an understanding that both confused and pleased him. He bobbed his head, his nose twitching at the delightful scent filling the house, and he had to fight back a sudden lump in his throat as he remembered his little sister.

She'd been born of Igneel's star, as Natsu was, and she'd delighted in ruling the nest as only a queen drake could. There wasn't anything he and the others wouldn't have done for her. They'd practically worshiped her, and she'd returned their affection a thousand fold.

"Acnologia?" Anna murmured, breaking his thoughts, "Is something wrong?"

He cleared his throat a little, though it was far shakier than he liked, "Sorry. I just... that smell... it reminds me of my little sister." The lump returned, "She used to make honey cake on special occasions. It was the only thing she could cook without burning, but she did it very well."

He turned his head, ashamed that he couldn't seem to stop the tide of emotions engulfing him, only to start in surprise when he felt a delicate hand curl into his.

"Will you tell me about her?" Anna asked with a gentle smile, one that was just sad enough he knew she truly understood.

Of course she did. She'd lost her own sister.

Something in him crumbled. A resistance he'd held up ever since that day. His shoulders shook a little and he found he couldn't resist as she gently tugged him into the kitchen and sat him down at the table.

"Her name was Freya..."

-::-

Sting squinted up at the blinding sun, sighing happily at the feel of it beating down against his face. His lips were parted as he took in deep breaths of air.

Yukino curled up firmer against his back at his stretching motion, and Sting just about melted against her happy touch.

"Try not to fall off my horse while sunbathin'," Yukino teases, voice light and airy.

"Don't go askin' for the impossible darlin'" Sting rumbled out a laugh, his eyes flashing over his shoulder, amusement glittering in a blue eye.

Yukino laughed and straightened the back of his shirt. Her hands dragged across the expanse of his strong back, taking secret enjoyment out of feeling the way his muscles moved under her touch.

"I think I'm asking for just the right amount don't you?" Yukino whispered back at him. She delighted in the way the back of his ears reddened.

"Oh get a room you two!" Sorano huffed.

"I'd be delighted were one around." Yukino replied with a saucy grin, and laughed at the look her sister shot her.

She wasn't concerned about her sister's sulky glares however. Ever since Sting had come into her life she couldn't remember a time she'd been so happy. She'd laughed and smiled more in the time the dragons had been staying with them than she could remember doing in years. Once they'd gotten over their suspicion they'd both warmed up to her considerably, and had been willing to lend a hand with her chores.

Sting more than Rogue, but then Rogue had spent the majority of his time convalescing from his nearly fatal heat sickness. And she hadn't minded either way. Sting's antics alone had made her chores seem that much easier and faster.

A smile curled her lips at the memory of a few nights before their departure, and she rested her head against his back to breathe in his warm scent. He'd taken her out to watch the sunset. Just them and a picnic basket he'd somehow packed up with out her knowing. It had been wonderfully romantic as they'd watched the colors morph slowly into night. He'd held her close and confessed that he cared about her as more than a friend, and asked if she would let him court her to be his future queen.

It still boggled her mind that the devilishly handsome man before her had chosen _her_ as his queen, and he'd been very clear about what that and courting her meant, but she was certainly not going to argue. She'd come to care about him quite a bit in their time together, and was not at all averse to the idea of getting to know him better with an eye towards one day marrying him.

"Yuki, you tryin' to turn me into a tomato?" Sting whined, though she could see the amused glint in his eye as he glanced over his shoulder.

"Maybe." She giggled, "Is it working?"

She heard Rogue snort a laugh from where he was perched on their spare horse, and blushed a little. She'd somehow forgotten he was there. Though she wasn't going to take back what she'd said.

Sorano made a gagging sound and shook her head, "Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick."

Yukino stuck her tongue out at her sister but turned her blushing face into Sting's back.

"Thank God. There's Magnolia," Sorano breathed out in obvious relief, "Didn't think I was gonna be able to handle much more of this."

Yukino snorted over her sister's words and rolled her eyes. As much as Sorano complained, it was obvious how happy she was for Yukino. After so long being by themselves, the trickle of love that had made its way into her life was welcome.

Even knowing the dangers it could mean, Yukino was ready for it.

They headed into Magnolia, trotting through the town which seemed much larger than it had in the past.

Sorano even gave a whistle, "Looks like Jellal sure has been busy. It's a wonder he didn't call me back sooner. Stubborn fool."

She looked a bit proud over the progression readily taking foot in Magnolia. Right before their eyes it was blossoming into a beautiful town.

Sting and Rogue even looked awed.

"You okay?" Yukino asked, reaching up to tap on the point of Sting's slack jaw.

He blinked and shook his head

"Yeah, I'm fine!" He grinned at her, his eyes flitting around somewhat nervously, "It's just my family and I usually stay away from towns this big. I thought Magnolia was smaller..."

"It used to be." Sorano replied, pride creeping into her voice, "However, thanks to Jude Heartfilia's backing and resources we've since been able to merge with the coastal village nearby, and tap into their water supply. The canals you see are a result of draining the delta and re-directing the water."

Sting blinked as he processed that, and looked around with renewed awe. He'd known in the abstract that humans were incredible builders and capable of extraordinary feats of engineering, but it was something else entirely to see it in progress.

It made him wish that he'd known about this sooner. Of course, if he had he probably would've taken it as a reminder of just how dangerous organized humans could be, so it was better this way.

"So where're we going?" He asked curiously, wondering idly if he looked as nervous around so many people around them at once as he felt. It was impossible to distinguish an individual's scent around here unless they were practically on top of you, and a person could easily get lost in the bustle of the crowd.

Not exactly the most favorable conditions when he and his brother were probably still being hunted.

Unfortunately, they didn't exactly have a choice.

Sorano shot him a measuring look, "The sheriff's office for now." She replied, and smirked, "Don't worry. You ain't under arrest. Just need t' check in with Jellal."

"Just go ahead and keep your hands to yourself an' I won't have enough of a reason to bring out my cuffs," Her gaze flashed between both Yukino and Sting.

As the group laughed, feeling the blanket of unease over being in a town of people and going to the sheriff's office no less begin to lift, they disappeared into the crowd.

But not without being spotted by the sharp eyes of a brooding shadow, standing by a stall of inkwells.

Acnologia watched his little brothers disappear into the crowd, accompanied by two women. One of which wore the star of the law. A deputy.

It seemed the Sheriff had called for reinforcements. Not that Acnologia blamed him. If he hadn't called for his deputy to return before, he certainly would have after discovering the bodies of two high profile dark wizards in the cells.

But Acnologia hadn't had a choice but to handle Hades.

His gaze followed uncertainly after his twin brothers, reminded so similar to his older siblings that shared the same bright smile as Sting did. Or his fraternal sister, who was bookish and quietly amused by her surroundings.

"Sir? Which color did you want?" Acnologia's attention pulled back to the small merchant, sweat beading at the bald patch on his head. It looked as though he were perspiring through all his layers of clothing.

His eyes flickered back to the bundles of thick stationary and the inkwell he was in the middle of picking out. A gift for Anna. So she could write to her beloved niece or put pen to the ideas floating through her head.

He closed his eyes.

"Blue," He spoke softly, "it's her favorite."

"Of course sir!" The merchant beamed happily as he deftly plucked a thick sheaf of the blue paper from under his counter, "A special gift for a lady friend hm? Perhaps she would also enjoy one of these lovely quills?"

He gestured to a selection of finely made quill pens with metal tips, "Made from the finest materials, and magically charmed against breakage or blotting. Guaranteed to last your lovely lady many years without needing replacing!"

Acnologia considered them thoughtfully for a moment. He wasn't sure he trusted the man's claims about the magic on them, but they _were_ pretty. And certainly they'd last a lot longer than an ordinary quill. His decision was made as soon as he spotted one with a feather that had been dyed indigo and decorated with gold designs.

He plucked it out of its place with the others and laid it with the inkwell, pleased at how well they went together.

"How much?" He growled softly, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"For you good sir, I will give you the entire package for ten thousand jewel." The man replied, and Acnologia immediately smirked.

It wasn't a horrible price for the quality, but clearly this man had never dealt with a dragon.

Ten minutes later he paid the man eight thousand and picked up his very nicely wrapped package. There was a part of him that felt a little guilty about getting it considering what he was planning to do, but at the same time that made it even more important. Especially after the way Anna had sat with him and let him pour his heart out about his family.

Granted he hadn't told her their true nature, or anything else, but he still felt better after it. Like something had been drained from him, and the area left was still tender, but no longer raw and painful.

He glanced back in the direction his brothers had gone, and sighed as he ducked his head and headed towards Anna's. He would have to deal with them, but now wasn't the time. He had little desire to tangle with the sheriff and his deputies in the middle of the day. He would wait until later to pay them a visit.

He made it to Anna's home, his thumb brushing over the parcel he packaged with care. He looked around and set it in front of her door.

While it was true she had soothed his heart, Anna had also inadvertently buried a shred of doubt in his heart. It was in a place he hadn't even known still existed.

The bitterness he lived with all his life was being chipped away little by little. And Acnologia feared his already trembling resolve would break apart

Why did he get to save his nest while Anna lived without her sister?

It almost wasn't fair, and he was beginning to feel an increasing amount of guilt for what he was doing.

Ultimately he would lose Anna. He would even lose himself. They would be in two different timelines if everything went according to plan.

Him in the past and her...

Here. Where she belonged. Without him.

* * *

 _ **And that's the chapter! I wanna give a shout out to everyone who reviewed this chapter! You definitely made your preview, and we love you for it! I did notice a few reviews that I think were meant for this chapter, but set on chapter 1 or other numbers for whatever reason. Please be careful about that as we only count what's actually under a particular chapter number towards previews. It helps avoid confusion. That said, I hope you enjoy your preview and we'll see you Sunday! :)**_

 _Lucy's lacrima chimed at that moment, jolting her out of her contemplation, and she looked down at it in mild surprise before setting her pen down and picking it up._

 _"Lucy here." She responded, and was greeted by a broadly grinning Wendy, and a rather more grim looking Erza and Gray._

 _"Lucy!" Wendy exclaimed, "You're not going to believe this! Sting and Rogue escaped Tartaros!"_

 _The words hung in the air for a long moment before finally sinking in, and when they did she surged to her feet, inadvertently slamming her hand down on her desk, "They did WHAT?"_

 _"Wait no!" Lucy gushed out in a second and fluttered a hand, "Just a second!"_

 _She sprang to the door and ripped it open, rushing across the hallway to where Gajeel, Levy and Natsu were gathered. She burst into the middle of what looked like an arm wrestling match over a discarded game of cards._

 _Levy, looking bored, still had a few cards in her hand and was merely waiting patiently for the men to finish their measuring competition._


	30. Acock

**Hey guys! Kytrin here with your Sunday update! No announcements this update so enjoy your chapter!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 30**

 _ **Acock**_

 _Knocked over, defeated, astounded, suddenly surprised._

* * *

Sting sighed as he dropped his meager bag of things onto the bed. Yukino had insisted that Sting and Rogue stay with them after the news they're received from Jellal. News that still had him reeling.

Hearing that Natsu had gotten tangled up with the Heartfilia Heiress to find them was bizarre enough, but the rest beggared belief. Jellal had kindly allowed them to contact his girlfriend, and through her Wendy, and the news was shocking.

After their somewhat tearful reunion Wendy had gleefully told them all about how Lucy had helped Natsu search for them at the risk of her own reputation and her father's company. That alone had surprised them considering what Natsu had been trying to do the _last_ time they'd seen the heiress, but to find out she'd been invited to join the nest had shocked both of them speechless.

Everything after had been a series of nearly impossible to believe events. Except, he'd learned when he was a hatchling that one should _never_ assume something was impossible around Natsu. His drakes both had a way of making the impossible happen, and it seemed Fairy Tail had that habit too.

And Wendy's stories about Levy were no less fantastic. It seemed both his brothers had found their queens and absolutely nothing would be the same ever again.

Their own news about their imprisonment and their subsequent escape was considerably less than welcome. Jellal's eyes had narrowed at his description of Acnologia and the sheriff had questioned them carefully about what they knew of their ancient brother and what was driving him. He hadn't shared his thoughts, but Sting suspected the man was putting together a number of disparate pieces into a whole no one else could see.

At least it meant they would see Wendy again soon.

The redhead, Erza he thought her name was, and the man with her had agreed that there was little more they could accomplish on their own with this information and would return to Magnolia as soon as they'd updated Gajeel and Natsu with the news.

A light tap at the door pulled his attention from his thoughts and he thudded down onto the single wooden chair. He looked up, the faint but familiar scent of flowered water from the crushed petals Yukino put in her baths drifted up from near the door.

It put a smile on his face, and he would probably always associate her with the crispness of water and it's healing touch.

After all, how could he imagine anything different when that was how they first met?

"Come on in Yuki," Sting drawled, not even bothering to hide his grin when she huffed in annoyance.

She pushed open the door, an eyebrow raised and hands on her hips. Sting noted she looked freshly bathed if the dampness in her hair meant anything, "how did you know?"

Sting grinned wider and shrugged off his outer vest. He gave Yukino a rakish smirk, "Now where would be the fun in tellin'?"

He winked, "Though I suppose it could be coaxed outta me."

Yukino shot him an amused look, "And just what would your price for that information be sir?" She asked teasingly as she stepped inside, absently swinging the door shut behind her, "Nothin' too steep I hope?"

Sting purred a little at the way her hips swayed as she approached him and felt his blood heat with a burn that had become all too familiar since meeting her, "Depends on what you're plannin' to use as currency miss."

He watched her with undisguised interest, "Don't wanna take the wrong kind after all."

Yukino bit back a laugh at that as she crawled into his lap. This was how it always was with him. One part openly hungry for her and the other part pure gentleman. It was a delightful contradiction, and she would never get enough of it.

"I wanted to see how you were doing." She admitted as she gave him a soft kiss, "You got an awful lot of shocks today an' I was a little worried."

Sting sighed and curled his arms around her, burying his nose in her damp hair, "It's a lot." He agreed after a moment, "I'm still digestin' it." He smiled a little as he pulled back, "But y'know, as surprisin' as it is maybe it's not a bad thing."

He caressed her cheek gently, "I found out I was wrong about humans. Some humans anyway. Seems Natsu and Gajeel learned the same. An' found their queens in the process. That can only be good for the nest."

Yukino nodded, "Where will you go from here?" She asked softly, quietly dreading his answer would be back to normal, but to her surprise he shrugged.

"No idea." He admitted, "Natsu an' Gajeel are the drakes. I follow their lead. If that lead is back to what we've always done then that's where I'll go." He cocked his head thoughtfully, "I don't think it will go that way though. It's hard to go back to what you knew before when things have changed right before your eyes."

He met her gaze quietly, his hand raising to brush over her cheek, "Besides, I got my own reasons for wantin' change."

Yukino blushed a shade of pink so pretty, Sting felt his heart lift so light he thought he would float off with her in his lap.

Her arms settled around his shoulders, eyes roaming over her suddenly shy smile.

"Oh yeah?" She asked, her cheeks staying that stubborn pink, "what're those?"

He grinned back at her, his hands dropping to her waist to support her upper body when he leaned in for a kiss. His mouth pressed against hers, so gentle and sweet he felt as if he could die from that alone.

His fingers scraped over the curve of her waist and he grinned at her.

"I'm going to give you a single hint," He breathed over her lips. Yukino melted into him.

This time when he kissed her, Yukino responded in kind, obviously prepared and not one to take anything lying down.

It even took Sting by surprise when her hands suddenly pressed back into his chest, tipping the tiny chair they both sat on back on its rear legs. It squealed and creaked in protest from the Motion, causing Yukino to break away with a giggle.

"I find I like that reason," She laughed.

Sting flailed a little as he tried not to overbalance the chair and send them both tumbling to the floor, much to Yukino's continued amusement. He shot her a pout as he righted them, but it quickly morphed into a mischievous grin.

"Feeling frisky tonight are we?" He purred as he scooped her up and bounced her onto the bed, quickly following after, "I should warn you about what can happen to naughty queens."

Yukino giggled and sat up a little to pull him into a bold kiss, "I'd like to see you try."

Sting felt his chest swell a little in pride at her answer. She'd already been a very capable woman, but he liked the confidence and boldness he'd seemed to coax out of her. Even if she only displayed it like this to him he was proud she was comfortable enough with him to do so.

He growled softly in approval and trailed his hands gently over her curves, silently asking for permission before descending on her.

Oh yes. She was worth changing their nest for.

He just hoped his drakes agreed with him.

-::-

Not far away Jellal stared grimly down at the small man perched on the bar with an ale in his hand.

"Are you sure about this?" The man asked, cracking an eye open to stare up at him shrewdly.

"As positive as I can be given the information I have Master Makarov." Jellal replied quietly, "A man matching Sting and Rogue's description has been seen around town. Most often in the company of Anna Heartfilia."

"That _does_ put a disturbing light on it." Makarov sighed, "I've never much cared for Jude, but Lucy's become family, and she loves her aunt dearly." He shook his head a little as he scanned an eye over those still at the bar, "Very well. We'll help you find this Acnologia. If he's as bad as you say then you'll need all the help you can get."

Jellal nodded, his expression grim and considering. He didn't want to think that anyone who was close to Anna would do anything terrible, but he had to think more like a lawkeeper.

If there was a chance Anna was in trouble and he ignored it, only for something terrible to happen, he would never forgive himself. Nor would Lucy for that matter. It would take some observing to be sure, as he was not a fan of incriminating a man for appearances alone. He just hoped the man left behind enough evidence if he was guilty. He seemed harmless enough, but he had long since learned not to trust on sight alone.

"Thank you for your assistance Fairy Tail, I'll keep you informed of anything if I get more information." He said formally and nodded to Makarov, who made a grumpy noise into his tankard.

He nodded once at Makarov in goodbye, backing away to the door and slipping out undetected.

Mostly.

Jellal unfortunately wasn't the only one who was keeping an eye out.

Ever since Acnologia had planned his attack on Hades and Zancrow, the unsuspecting sheriff also found himself being carefully watched.

The eavesdropping dragon backed away with a growl, slinking through the alleyway behind the bar and out of sight.

He was not happy to learn that his brothers had decided to tell stories enough to identify him, even vaguely, but he supposed he shouldn't be surprised. They'd spent more than two hours in the sheriff station, and that was just what he knew of.

Unfortunately, that meant he would have to move his plans up if he was going to have any hope of capturing his brothers and escaping before he was positively identified. And this would certainly complicate his plans for waiting until the rest of his siblings came into range.

Perhaps it was time to go spy on his brothers for a while.

He would have to take care that Rogue didn't detect him, but while he was willing to admit the hatchling was good, he wasn't a master of their element just yet. As long as he was careful he should be fine.

With that thought in mind he melted back into the shadows, but the twisting guilt in his heart gnawed at him as he did.

The guilt that doing this would change everything, and he would get what he wanted so badly while Anna...

The thought alone made him cringe, and for the first time he wondered if he should really follow through with his plans.

A world without Anna felt as bad as a world without his nest, and... well... his father might be something of a bastard, but he couldn't help wondering what his brothers and sisters would say if they knew what he was planning.

He rather suspected Freya's reaction would involve fireballs.

Not that he didn't already expect that. But he was willing to do anything, prepared to sacrifice all in the hopes of spending just one more day with his family.

He knew everything would change once he did this.

Regardless of his wants and desires, Anna deserved more than a man stained in as much blood and darkness as he was. She was a child of the stars after all, and no matter what the path set before them, he believed one day she would be reborn.

Not in any time he could ever know her, but perhaps the new one would be a happier one for her.

Guilt somewhat settled, Acnologia settled himself in to plan.

He had to take care of his brothers before they caused any more trouble for him.

-::-

Unaware of the scheming in Magnolia, Lucy took a moment away from the prying eyes of her friends to pen a short message to her father to keep him informed of the happenings in her life. He was still working closely with Jellal, but Lucy was afraid to reveal too much over a letter.

A trap had been sprung for them in Hargeon, and now they were exercising more caution.

The reveal that Acnologia and possibly even Zeref had eyes on them from one end of the west to the other was unnerving. Granted, Levy had pointed out that they hadn't exactly been the most subtle in their path of destruction.

And really that was an excellent way of describing it if the smoking wreckage of Hades' manor was anything to go off.

It was a moment that made her cringe more than a little on reflection. They'd been both cocky and woefully unprepared despite their attempts at caution. The lack of information had nearly seen them walking straight into a situation they would've been hard pressed to get out of.

This time she was not going to let that happen.

She'd already put Mest in contact with her father and Jellal after he'd given them what information he'd been able to find in his investigation of the train so far. Hopefully the information sharing would help them put together a whole picture at last.

She feared it wouldn't though. She wasn't sure why, but she was certain they were missing something else. Something huge.

It was frustrating, but without more information she simply couldn't guess what it was.

At least they'd gleaned _something_ useful out of this mess. Mest and his knights had been able to find out from the thugs they'd captured that the future slaves were being transported into the mountains around Hakobe. Their captives hadn't been able to give them the exact location, but they'd gotten a good general area to search.

It was better than nothing. And so far their best lead to where Natsu's brothers might be.

Lucy's lacrima chimed at that moment, jolting her out of her contemplation, and she looked down at it in mild surprise before setting her pen down and picking it up.

"Lucy here." She responded, and was greeted by a broadly grinning Wendy, and a rather more grim looking Erza and Gray.

"Lucy!" Wendy exclaimed, "You're not going to believe this! Sting and Rogue escaped Tartaros!"

The words hung in the air for a long moment before finally sinking in, and when they did she surged to her feet, inadvertently slamming her hand down on her desk, "They did WHAT?"

"Wait no!" Lucy gushed out in a second and fluttered a hand, "Just a second!"

She sprang to the door and ripped it open, rushing across the hallway to where Gajeel, Levy and Natsu were gathered. She burst into the middle of what looked like an arm wrestling match over a discarded game of cards.

Levy, looking bored, still had a few cards in her hand and was merely waiting patiently for the men to finish their measuring competition.

But she set them down when Lucy burst in, her cheeks red and hair falling into her face. Natsu looked up, his mouth falling open in faint surprise, only for Gajeel to take advantage of his distraction and slam his hand into the table with enough force to send the cards fluttering to the floor.

"I win Salamander," Gajeel smirked, ignoring Natsu's spitting swears and growls.

Nursing his abused wrist, Natsu looked up at his frazzled queen and tilted his head, "Lucy, what's the matter?"

He rose halfway out of his chair when she shoved the lacrima in her hand at him, his sister's happy shining face glowing out at him.

"Wendy!" He exclaimed with a broad smile and rushing up to his feet the rest of the way. Gajeel was just a step behind him, both men leaving the table in absolute tatters.

Levy heaved a put upon sigh but stood up and brushed off her skirts and leggings.

"Hey guys!" Wendy gushed happily, "Oh you're not going to guess what we just found out!" She paused a moment, no doubt to build suspense as her brothers shoved at each other to both be seen, "Sting and Rogue escaped!"

There was a moment of silence where Lucy was sure you could hear a pin drop, and then Natsu and Gajeel let out simultaneous shouts of joy and excitement before trying to talk over each other as they demanded details.

"Would you two cut it out?" Lucy demanded fiercely, pinching both of them by the ear, "She can't tell us anything if you won't let her talk!"

"Lucy's right." Levy spoke up as Gajeel looked like he might protest, and smiled excitedly at their sister, "So what happened?"

"It's a grim tale." Erza spoke up with a frown, "It seems your brothers are being held on an airship. Based on the description I would guess it's the one belonging to Grimoire Heart."

"According to Sting they all broke out together, but Laxus and Cobra stayed behind to cover him and Rogue so they could get away." Wendy continued, "They don't know what happened after that, but figure they were probably captured again."

"So wait... how'd the twins get in touch with you to tell you all this?" Natsu asked in confusion, and to his surprise Wendy giggled.

"They got rescued out in the desert." She replied, "By Sorano's sister of all people. You should see her guys! She's so pretty!" She clasped her hands together with a happy sigh, "And nice! Sting says she's much nicer to her spirits than Sorano was. Like Lucy. I think he might be wanting her as his queen actually..."

Natsu and Gajeel blinked at their sister and then at each other, "There somethin' in the water we don't know about?"

Natsu shrugged as Erza sighed a little, "As you may know, Sorano is one of Jellal's deputies. Once the twins were recovered from their ordeal in the desert she brought them to Magnolia to make contact with Jellal who contacted us. We're heading back there now."

"Deputy?" Natsu gawked at her. The last time they had seen Sorano, they were robbing her blind of her keys, "She's the law now?"

"And she's helping our brothers?" Natsu's jaw nearly hung off his face.

"Magnolia is a good place for fresh starts. For anyone," Lucy said with a gentle smile that had a slow smile starting over his face.

"Maybe," Gajeel allowed, his hands settling at his hips, "But considerin' our history with that particular woman, I'm surprised she ain't throwin' those two morons under a wagon."

"Or draggin' them by a couple of horses," Natsu added with a grim wince.

Levy raised an eyebrow at the two bandits and rubbed her fingertips to her temples, "Mavis give me strength and patience."

"Ignoring what you all did to her to make her have that sort of reaction," Lucy sighed, giving their deadpanned expressions an annoyed look, "we should be grateful for the hospitality they've been given. They're heading to Magnolia now, so if we meet up with them we might be able to put our heads together to fill in what's missing to find your brothers!"

Natsu grinned at her and nodded. He could tell Lucy was irritated by the lack of remorse they had for taking Sorano's keys, but Lucy didn't know what they had done or why. And perhaps Sorano had changed for the better, but he doubted she could fully win over the contracts of her old spirits now that they were freed.

They did need a new home once all this was over...

His eyes skittered over to Lucy, his fingers curling into his scarf.

In all the chaos, he had almost forgotten what had brought him and Lucy together initially. Finding Draco.

He doubted Lucy would open a door to the stars for them even if they managed to provide her with all the keys she would need. It went against her celestial contracts.

His eyes followed over Lucy, her cheeks rosy and expression somewhat annoyed. His lips turned up into a smile at her pout and he reached up to poke at her cheek, "None of that miss Lucy, we'll be good boys an' behave for ya."

Lucy huffed and swatted at his finger, "Somehow I doubt that." She drawled, "In any event, let's get goin'." She shot Erza, Wendy, and Gray a smile, "Thanks for letting us know. We should be back in Magnolia by this time tomorrow even if we move slowly."

"We'll meet you there then." Erza nodded, "Be careful Lucy. This is getting more serious by the moment."

Lucy frowned and nodded as the lacrima went dark. Things were certainly heating up, and not in a good way. If they'd already had one jail break then that had to mean Zeref and Acnologia were on high alert, and would be eager to recapture the escaped dragons as well as get their hands on the ones remaining.

Having them converge on Magnolia could be as dangerous for them as for the enemy.

Unfortunately, she didn't see a way around it currently. The lacrima were too limited to have everyone on at the same time, and they urgently needed the information swap that could only be accomplished by having everyone together. They would just have to be very careful.

And when this was over, she fully intended to have a sharp word or ten with Natsu and his family about stealing celestial keys.

That was for later though. For now, they needed to get going. It seemed her letter to her father would have to wait. At least she would be able to get him back up to speed once they got there.

She glanced at Levy, "We might as well get going. We can get a full half day in if we leave now."

Levy nodded, "I'll settle up the bill an' get some supplies organized."

"And I'll get started packing." Lucy responded, "Luckily there's not much."

Relatively speaking anyway. Natsu had developed a habit of stripping her out of her clothes as soon as they were alone, and that tended to lead to them being scattered everywhere.

Natsu followed Lucy back to help her pick up their room while Gajeel moved to do the same with his and Levy's.

His trend was heavy as he followed her in, kicking the door closed behind him. Natsu raised an eyebrow and grinned at the way she kept giving him irritated glares.

"Awe miss Lucy, you still mad about our little history with Sorano?" Natsu wheedled as he dropped the pack on the bed. Idly he reached over to a lantern fixture on the wall and plucked a set of Lucy's bloomers from it. He gave them a fond look before dropping them into the bag.

Lucy's cheeks burned but she retaliated by throwing a pillow at his head, "I'm certainly not happy!"

Natsu squeaked out a protest when he caught the pillow with his face.

"How many other keys have you taken from people?" Lucy asked, her jaw tightening with displeasure.

Natsu gaped at her for a moment, but pulled the pillow off his face.

"This been buggin' you for a while Luce?" Natsu asked, his eyebrow ticking, "You knew my family and I are thieves."

He sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. He'd known that this would come back up. Eventually. There was really no pushing it off either considering he had attacked her when they first met. It was past time they settled this completely.

"You know why we targeted people with keys. We wanted to find our pa," He said slowly, not wanting to fight with her over this, "But if that were the end all be all, I wouldn't have stopped until I had gotten your keys Lucy."

He breathed out a puff of air and stretched back, consideringly.

"You, and even apparently Miss Yukino are part of a dying breed of celestial wizards. Sorano in particular didn't value her spirits and abused them," Natsu eyed her, "The western stars are our relatives, no matter how distant. And I don't feel even a lick sorry for takin' the keys we have."

He reached out and gently took her hand, "What I do feel sorry about is attackin' you. Got so used to not needin' proof I almost made a bad mistake." He grinned a little, "Not that it mattered, since you kicked my ass anyway princess."

"But Lucy, I _am_ sorry I attacked and scared ya," Natsu met her eyes, "I don't want to do that anymore."

Lucy stared at him hard for a long moment before deflating with a sigh as she dropped down next to him, "I didn't really think you would. I just... when I realized..."

Natsu nodded and curled his arms around her and squeezed gently, "I know." He replied, "An' I don't blame you." He pulled back a little, "But even though your keys, and Miss Yukino's keys, are safe this ain't something we can just let go either."

"Maybe not." Lucy replied, "But it's also not your place to take those keys." She looked up at him, "I won't argue that something has to be done. Abusing spirits is wrong, and against the ancient contracts first agreed upon by the first celestial wizards and the spirits that contracted to them. Those contracts are binding to this day Natsu, and even if they don't directly apply to you it could still cause problems."

She laid her finger over his lips when he opened his mouth to respond, "Hush. It's my turn. Even if you and your family found a way to wiggle around those terms, it's still not your place to remove keys from someone. It's mine. And Yukino's. And every other celestial wizard's. That's our agreement. We would ensure that if a wizard ever abused his or her keys then the abuser would have their keys removed from them and be punished accordingly."

She met his eyes intently, "That's what we agreed to when my ancestor first met with the Celestial Spirit King. And it's an agreement I fully intend to honor. But I can't do that if you guys act independently. We've already seen that sometimes your facts are wrong, and I can't abide keys being taken from perfectly innocent people who love their spirits. I just can't."

Natsu's expression had slowly turned thoughtful as she'd spoken, and when she removed her finger he sighed a little and ran his fingers through his hair again.

"I can't fault that." He admitted after a long moment, "Much as I wanna find pa, he'd have our scales if we did that even by accident." He met her gaze seriously, "But Lucy, I promise there hasn't been anyone before you that wasn't truly deservin' of having them taken."

Lucy noticed he'd carefully avoided saying just how many times they'd done that, but decided not to call him on it. He'd promised, and that was enough evidence for her. She smiled a little and leaned over to kiss him softly.

"Alright then. We'll leave it at that. Maybe once this is over we can work out a system to alert us of problems before they get so bad, and get it taken care of right away. Would that suit?"

Natsu closed his eyes, his fingertips grazing across the curve of Lucy's cheek. He memorized the softness of it under his calloused touch, her sweet smile curving into his palm.

Dipping forward, he breathed out shakily and closed his eyes. It was difficult to take what Lucy said and absorb it. After all, they had different ways of handling their business for a long time.

"I can't promise you that my family and I will stop what we've been doing," Natsu opened his eyes and dipped his forehead against hers, "If Celestial Wizards had been policing one another like they agreed to so long ago, then my family wouldn't have had to go out and take keys from bad people in the first place."

"It hasn't been perfect, and the spirits we have still need to have new homes found for them eventually," Natsu admitted, "I can give you my word though. If you promise to help us find a way to protect the spirits in accordance to the old contract, my family will honor it and help."

"I trust your word Lucy, above anyone else's," He gave her an earnest look, the heat and ferocity behind it stunning.

He looked away after a moment, his expression somewhat guarded. Lucy could see the nerves twisting over his face.

"Fighting is what I'm good at," Natsu grinned crooked, but his eyes were still distant as he stared across the room, "Doesn't feel like my family and I have been doing much fighting though."

"Lately it's been feelin' more like running," he risked a glance at her.

He turned his gaze towards his knees, and Lucy could see his fingers shaking just a hair. Her hand crept over to settle on top of his.

"Lucy," he murmured, glancing at her, "D'ya think when this is all over...?"

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 _ **Muahahahahahahaha! Yes! Enjoy our little cliffy! Alas, you guys did not hit the 30 mark for reviews so there will be no preview this chapter. However, I wanna say thank you to everyone who DID review for us! As always you guys make us smile. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and we'll see you Wednesday!**_


	31. Ace in the Hole

_**Hey guys! Kytrin here with your Wednesday update! I've got a couple of announcements for you, but I'll save those for the end of the chapter.**_

 _ **However, as a quick reminder for everyone, Tempest, Mythos, and Reset have NOT yet been posted anywhere. They're three stories Mslead and I are currently working on in one fashion or another, and won't start appearing until after Wild Aces is over. Other announcements at the end! Enjoy the chapter!** _

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_**CHAPTER 31**_

 _ **Ace in the Hole** _

_A hideout or a hidden gun._

* * *

"...d'you think we could join Fairy Tail still?"

Lucy blinked at him for a moment as she processed his words, and a warm smile spread across her lips, "Of course you can Natsu." She breathed, "Fairy Tail's a place for second chances. For you, Wendy, and anyone else in your crazy family."

She squeezed his hand a little, "And I _will_ find a way to protect the spirits." She promised, "I can't do anything about the fact no one was before. Or there wasn't a way to alert the rest of us. But I'll find a way to build something so it can be dealt with properly."

Natsu grinned brightly at her, more than pleased by her answer, and pressed his lips against hers in a somewhat messy kiss. His queen was truly amazing.

He was interrupted, however, by a tap at the door.

"Lucy?" Levy called, "The rooms are all checked out, an' the horses are waiting! We need to get a move on!"

"On our way!" Lucy called, breaking their kiss, "Give us five minutes!"

She looked back at Natsu, who was torn between scowling at the interruption and resuming their previous activity, and nudged him, "C'mon. Let's get going." She got up and flashed him a smirk, "If you're good maybe we can find a place to sneak off to tonight and continue this."

Natsu growled hotly at the idea of having her outside, under the stars, and surrounded by the elements. It would be a miracle if he could keep his wings contained. Maybe Lucy would like it? The thought sent shivers down his spine as he got up and started tossing items into their bags eagerly only for Lucy to scold him a moment later for not packing properly.

-::-

Of course the practice of being good was always far more difficult for Natsu than anyone else. They had miscalculated the distance a bit with the reminder they would have to take a train part of the way back to get to Magnolias area. And at that point Natsu was too busy trying not to vomit onto Lucy's boots to behave.

She seemed to count it as good behavior though by the way she ran her fingers soothingly through his hair until they pulled to a stop in the nearest train station to Magnolia.

By the time they got off the train though, Lucy had to help him mount onto Happy. Which had him slacking his body against his horse's neck while she held the reins from behind to secure him to the horse better. He had to admire that. Lucy had more strength than she looked like she possessed.

Levy was also keeping up Gajeel's burly form. To her credit, her legs shook only a little.

The women exchanged glances that were equal parts amused and exasperated as Lily and Happy heaved up from where they'd knelt down to make getting their riders aboard easier. After a couple of wobbly moments they managed to settle and started trotting off.

Once they were a fair way from the station and Lucy was reasonably sure no one else was around, she nudged Happy closer to Lily, "There's a place maybe a half an hour ahead we can make camp. It's not one of the well known sites, but it's a lot nicer than anythin' we'll find along the road."

"Safer too I bet." Levy replied thoughtfully, "Roadside's always the first place bandits look. If we're back a ways it'll be harder to spot us."

Lucy nodded, "This one's one of theirs actually." She gestured to the two men who were just starting to regain their senses, "Natsu said they built it so they'd have a stocked place in the area. Plenty of wood, an' maybe some other supplies stashed nearby."

Levy grinned, "That'll be perfect then. I dunno how they do it, but they make the nicest campsites I've ever seen, and nobody could find 'em at a glance."

Lucy's lips twitched a little at the dusting of red that appeared on Levy's cheeks at that, and she wondered if it was at such a campsite that she and Gajeel had gone from reluctant partners to lovers.

"You talkin' 'bout us shrimp?" Gajeel slurred as he started to straighten, his near comatose state fading at last.

"Only about your campsites." Levy replied, and Gajeel cackled a little weakly as he took the reins.

"Oi! Runt!" He shouted at Natsu, "Ain't a time for nappin'!"

"I'm not nappin' ya damn jerk." Natsu wheezed as he too began to straighten up, "I was listenin'. Ladies wanna use the Golem's Ass camp."

"I'm sorry," Lucy spoke up, sounding somewhat alarmed by the strange name, "What did you say that thing was called?"

" 'Golem's Ass,'" Natsu responded, looking a little better now that he was speaking and paying attention. He just shook his head at Lucy's expression, "Don't worry 'bout it Lucy, private joke, ya had to be there."

"It'll be a good place to relax before we make it back there. Although I can't say I'm too eager about stopping. Those brats have spent far too long away from us already," Natsu grumbled.

"We can't push it though, we've been going nonstop since this whole thing began and we're going to keep going as soon as we meet up with your brothers," Levy said reasonably, "We need to take this time to actually put our thoughts together.

Natsu huffed out a long suffering sigh, his fiery impatience making itself known. But Gajeel chuckled and set a hand on Levy's knee, giving it an affectionate squeeze.

"Don't worry about Salamander's huffin' and puffin' over there, he's just the most impatient out of all of us," Gajeel growled at her with a smirk.

"Yeah, I think I've gathered that much," Levy laughed when Natsu pouted back at them.

Lucy rolled her eyes and smacked Natsu's shoulder lightly, "Eyes ahead." she ordered, grinning when he obediently followed the command.

Not long after that Natsu and Gajeel both veered off the road in a way that, to a casual observer, would look like they were scouting for a nearby campsite a little early. However, as soon as they'd vanished from view of the road they turned in another direction altogether.

"We gotta hurry if we're gonna make it with enough light to set up camp." Natsu noted as he nudged Happy into a trot, "I'm not sure if Erik restocked the firewood or not last time."

Gajeel snorted, but nudged Lily into a faster speed as well. He knew Erik had restocked the place, but he was eager to settle down for the night too. Levy had a point about taking the time to rest up before the final leg. As eager as he was to get their brothers back and put this whole mess behind them, there hadn't been any overt need to hurry.

No signs of an impending attack or other crisis.

And as much as that made part of him twitchy all things considered, he wasn't above taking advantage of the fact. Especially when it meant time with his precious queen.

He growled softly as he shifted his reins to one hand and curled a hand over her belly. How he'd ever been dismissive of this treasure he didn't know anymore. She'd quickly become so important to him it was terrifying when he thought about it, but he wouldn't trade it for the world.

And he would show her that later. Golem's Ass had a set of very private underground hot water springs spanning several chambers, and he fully intended on whisking her away to one once camp was set up. He glanced at Natsu, who kept trying to sneak peeks over his shoulder at Lucy, and smirked a little. Obviously the runt had similar plans in mind.

He said nothing, however, as they arrived at the cave entrance, and Levy looked around curiously.

"Where's the camp?"

"In there." Gajeel chuckled as he gestured to the cave, "Entrance ain't much, but it opens real nice just inside. You'll see. There's even a place for the horses t' bed down."

They lead the horses into the camp grounds one by one, Natsu leading the way by straightening up and lifting his hands. Flames curled around his palms, illuminating a path for the horses to take.

Happy and Lily seemed to know the path well even without the light and they walked mostly unencumbered by their path. Lucy wrapped her arms around Natsu's waist as they trotted along.

Once inside it was clear the cavern had been carefully worked to allow air and light in without it being obvious on the outside. The sun was westering, but it reflected enough light inside to give them plenty to see by. Lucy immediately relaxed at the security the cave represented, and moved to unpack the bedrolls while Natsu set up a good sized fire in the carved out pit and Gajeel and Levy took out food.

"Ain't a lot there if we're gonna rest up a couple days before headin' in." Gajeel noted as he surveyed the food with a critical eye, and got up, "I'm goin' huntin'."

"At this time of day?" Lucy asked in surprise, "It'll be dark in an hour at most."

"Don't worry Lu." Levy grinned, "Gajeel's got no problem hunting at night."

"Gihi, an' a good thing too." The large man cackled as he headed out, "Don' worry Blondie. This won't take long."

Lucy watched him go and shrugged. If he wanted to hunt then she wasn't about to stop him. There was enough to do to set up camp anyway. However, to her surprise, it truly didn't take long. Before she and Levy had done more than get dinner started, after Natsu wheedled some fire out of Levy, Gajeel came stomping back with an already gutted deer slung over his shoulder.

She shook her head in bemusement, telling herself that she should be used to such things by now, and listened as he and Natsu skinned it and set it up to roast.

"That's gonna to take a while to cook." She observed, despite being rendered into smaller portions it was still a decent size haul.

"Yeah." Gajeel agreed, "Probably a couple hours. But it'll be fine while it does." He stretched, "I'm gonna go hit the hotsprings an' clean up."

"Hot springs?" Levy perked up alertly, "There's hot springs here?"

Gajeel flashed her a toothy grin, "C'mon an' see for yourself." He rumbled, and the pair left leaving her and Natsu alone.

Natsu used a bucket of water they had by the firepit to rinse off his arms up to the elbows of the blood from skinning the deer. He shook his hands out and lit them on fire.

Lucy watched, still fascinated by the sight of him using his magic the way he did. The unchanneled rawness was a symbol of his dragon heritage, and it was clear in the way he displayed such ease manipulating his element. Still as fascinating as that was, she looked longingly back out at the hot springs where Levy and Gajeel had wandered off.

"Uh oh, I recognize that look," Natsu grinned at her, moving in closer to drop a hand lightly against her hip, "jealous?"

"No!" Lucy protested loudly, but blushed sheepishly a moment later, "I mean, maybe a little?"

Natsu leaned in and pressed light kisses into her neck, causing her to sigh.

"Alright, alright. A hot spring sounds lovely, but I can wait my turn," Lucy lifted her chin up at him.

Natsu snorted at her stubbornness and pecked a kiss to her temple, "I hate to break it to ya miss, but my brother and his queen are gonna take a right minute in that spring."

Before Lucy could look too disappointed by that though, he pressed a hand against her waist and guided her to the other side of the cave.

"Luckily we got a couple that branch off... and _my_ favorite spring is just out here," Natsu wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Lucy had just enough wits about her to grab their pack of clothes and rush after her cackling dragon.

He paused long enough to take her hand and guide her with vision much sharper than hers through a hallway that seemed to darken into the pitch for a few seconds, before suddenly it illuminated brightly.

They were outside.

The night sky hung heavy with stars overhead, and there was a nicely shrouded pool of water encircled by a thick canopy of hard desert bushes.

He grinned happily at her, "This has enough of a mountainous region to it that we've got plenty of hotsprings in this area. But this one is my _favorite_."

He guided her hand towards the lip of the water, where the pool suddenly illuminated with a hazy kind of green light from under the water.

"It's the stones on the bottom of the water. They're a kind of fluorescent stone, almost like a lacrima that collects the light during the day." Natsu explained at Lucy's startled gasp, "They only light up when the water is disturbed by someone in it. Pretty neat huh?"

"It's _beautiful_ Natsu!" Lucy gasped in delight as she watched the ripples spread over the whole pool until all the rocks were lit up. She grinned as she arranged clean clothes and other bathing supplies to one side and began eagerly unlacing her bodice. She was positively itching to feel that hot water washing away the day's grime and stress.

She heard a movement behind and glanced over her shoulder to see Natsu watching her with alert attentiveness.

"Need a hand with that?" He purred suggestively, and she blushed a little for a moment before an impish thought struck her.

"No need." She purred back, enjoying his momentarily crestfallen expression, "Why don't you go ahead and get in? I'll join you in a moment."

Natsu shuffled a little in obvious disappointment and pouted, "Okay."

####

Lucy bit her lip to hold back her laughter as she continued working. She had no doubt he was already plotting ways to seduce her once she was in the water, but for once she was going to surprise him. She waited until she heard him splash in and glanced over to see if he was watching her. Sure enough, his disappointment had already vanished in favor of him watching her intently.

She stifled another laugh at the feeling of naughty excitement building in her, and slowly turned towards him as she dropped her bodice, and began slowly stripping off the rest of her clothes. His look of surprise quickly morphed into a dark smirk as he settled back to watch her impromptu show, and her cheeks heated again.

However, she was enjoying herself entirely too much to stop now. No matter _how_ decadent it felt to be stripping down outside.

She worked smoothly to pull off every stitch of cotton left on her body and slithered to the bank of the water. Slowly, she dipped a foot into the water, delighting in the rushing heat that rushed up her spine.

Natsu had not once removed his gaze from her, and Lucy felt a flush work its way over her body as she stepped foot into the water.

She took her time, ignoring Natsu's impatient growls and whimpers.

When she dipped inside, her hands slowly landed onto his broad shoulders, thumbs brushing into the hot droplets clinging to his tanned chest.

"This is a nice spot you picked out Natsu," she complimented him, her cheeks tilting into a warm smile.

The water felt amazing, lapping against her body warming into her very bones. Hot water was always a pain to get to, but this was perfect. Natural hot springs were such a treat.

Natsu growled lowly in pleasure as he slid his arms around his sneaky queen, and pulled her close, "Glad you like it." He rumbled, sliding a hand appreciatively up her side and over her breast.

He was much more interested in her though. She was bare, in his arms, and surrounded by the elements. Including his. It was an intoxicating combination, and he couldn't have resisted if he'd wanted to.

"Lucy..." He growled softly and gently caressed his thumb over her cheek as he pulled her into a passionate kiss. Gods what she did to him. He wondered if she even knew. The knowledge that she was his and had joined his nest sent shivers up his spine, and the hope that she would accept his desire to make her queen sent another.

He hadn't mentioned that to her yet. He didn't want to until this was sorted out and they'd had time to breathe. But that didn't stop him from thinking about it as he kissed her. Or what it would be like if she did accept him. He would marry her, and one day he would perform the same ritual his dad had and they would create a hatchling. Maybe even more than one.

He groaned at the thought as a wave of heat washed over him, and almost before he realized what was happening he felt scales start to slide over his skin and his wings and tail sprout and unfurl.

A somewhat wet touch to his wing made him leap out of his thoughts and Natsu grinned at the sight of Lucy shyly stroking her fingertips across the leathery fold of a wing.

"Well what do we have here?" Lucy amusement colored her voice, "Looks like something caught your attention."

Natsu spared just enough time to look back over his shoulder and give his wings an annoyed look. He pressed his hand slowly into the curve of Lucy's back to bow her closer to him.

"Maybe so, but I've gotta say who can blame me?" He laughed and dipped his head forward, capturing Lucy's mouth in a slow, consuming kiss.

"I like them," Lucy gave him a happy smile, breathing between languid kisses. It was a smile Natsu couldn't' help but return by her easy acceptance of what had to be strange to a human.

He sighed out a breath of relief he hadn't even known he was holding when Lucy sank back into his kiss, their whispered words breathed against one another's mouths.

No other words were spoken after that. There didn't need to be any, as Lucy was vocal enough in her desire to prove his dragon heritage truly did mean nothing to her. They came together under the night sky, heat building between them as they chased after their starry heights. Soon they came down together, their mouths making promises against their bodies.

Lucy panted harshly as Natsu slipped out of her with a groan, and struggled not to slide bonelessly back into the water. Whatever it was that had roused Natsu's instincts had done a truly spectacular job of it.

####

Once she'd shown him that she didn't really care about his scales and other appendages, beyond curiosity, he hadn't been able to keep his hands off her. He'd shown her just what a fully roused dragon was like and she was pretty sure there was no equal anywhere. She'd thought she was getting used to sex and Natsu's exuberance, but she felt as exhausted now as the first time they'd made love.

She smiled as he nuzzled her tiredly and slid easily into his arms as he guided them back into the hot water. The sensation alone had her shivering in pleasure and when he rubbed a soapy cloth against her she couldn't help jerking a little.

"Shhhh... my queen." He purred against her temple, his voice thick with satisfaction, "I'll be gentle. I promise."

Lucy shifted so she could see him over her shoulder and smiled as she pulled him into a kiss, "I believe you."

She relaxed against him with a sigh, enjoying the sturdy feel of his chest against her back, and let him languidly wash every inch of her. As the tremors from their high subsided she regained her senses enough to reciprocate, and finally reluctantly pulled away from him.

"We should get back." She sighed, silently wishing they could just stay there and keep doing this all night, "That meat's gotta be about done by now."

Natsu huffed out a reluctant sigh across her neck, his teeth nipping into her skin enough to make her body shiver once more.

"You're right," Natsu gave her a crooked grin. He bent his forehead towards hers, pressing into a gentle kiss. One that erupted into a fierce smile, "Race ya?"

Lucy giggled at the glitter in his eyes while a clever idea sparked in her mind. She dropped a hand to his hip, pressing her fingers into his muscled thigh. As predicted, his gaze flashed towards hers, both interested and distracted from his initial thoughts of mischief.

Natsu had such a short attention span she had begun to realize.

But she knew just how to keep him occupied. Lucy reached up, cradling a hand into his rosy hair, drawing him into a languid kiss.

He melted against her, sensing no danger as Lucy opened her mouth to his, welcoming his lips.

He was so drawn into her, he never noticed the way her leg slid around his ankle or the way her other hand crept up his chest.

Not until he was being shoved backwards into the water and a squealing Lucy escaped his spluttering grasp to snatch her clothes for a well deserved head start.

"Lucy!" Natsu roared laughingly as he scrambled out of the pool to go chasing after her, "That wasn't fair!"

As he ran down the corridor, uncaring of his lack of clothing, he couldn't help grinning broadly as laughter bubbled in his chest. Free and unfettered for the first time in too long. And it occurred to him that maybe his brother and Levy had been right after all.

For all that they'd spent a few days not doing much while Mest worked, it had all been spent waiting for information and worrying. This was different, and it showed. He still wasn't inclined to hang around for too long with Acnologia chasing his brothers, but he had to admit the pressure had eased and he felt much better now.

The thoughts flew out of his head the moment he rounded the final corner to find a towel clad Lucy grinning victoriously at him, "I win!"

"Only 'cause you cheated!" He retorted, his grin returning with force despite the way he was waving his finger at her, "I'm gonna get you for that!"

"Get 'er _after_ we eat runt!" Gajeel grunted as he grabbed a thick chunk of meat to test, "Food's ready an' I ain't gonna wait around!"

"Hey, you're supposed t' wait for the queens!" Natsu protested indignantly, but Gajeel just grinned toothily.

"I'm testin' it." He smirked, and gestured at the rest of the carcass, "An' it ain't like there's a lack."

"C'mon Natsu." Lucy laughed as she curled her arms around behind him and gently leaned up to kiss the back of his ear, "Let's eat."

Soon they would going back to Magnolia, but she had every intention of enjoying herself with this amazing nest. It was amazing to her how quickly they became her family, but she was quickly beginning to realize that Natsu with his sunny smile and somewhat cocky attitude was at the center of those feelings.

Feelings that went much deeper than the physical. And Lucy was excited to see where a deeper relationship with him could lead. After all this chaos was over, they could have the opportunity to truly breathe together. And Lucy couldn't wait for it.

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 ** _Alright! Chapter end! I hope everyone enjoyed the answer to our little cliffy last chapter lol! Real quick, I wanted to let everyone know that I shall be heading out of town in a couple of days to see my dad for Christmas, and will thus probably miss both the Sunday update and the next Wednesday one. As such, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas (if you celebrate it) and a Happy Holidays (if you don't)! If you're traveling this time of year please be careful out there. It's the time of year for the nuts to be out in force._**

 ** _That said, I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! You guys completely knocked it out of the ballpark and thus I reward you with a well earned, and longer than usual, preview!_**

 _"You'd best not struggle little brother." A voice growled thickly from the shadows as they poured into the room, the largest of which coalesced into who Natsu guessed had to be Acnologia himself, "I'm not aimin' for bloodshed."_

 _"Yeah..." He croaked around the shadows pinning him down, "Sure got a funny way o' showin' it!" He bared his fangs darkly even as Lucy surged to her feet and grabbed for her keys._

 _"Don't." Acnologia snapped at her, though Natsu was shocked to discover the look on his face was more pained than angry, "My shadows surround you Miss Lucy. I could kill you in an instant if I wanted. Don't make me."_

 _Lucy's movements froze, and Natsu frantically wondered just how they were going to get out of this in one piece when another sound reached his ears. The soft sound of another person. Anna. Whom he'd nearly forgotten was there._

 _"Acnologia?" She asked softly, her voice full of shock and pain and heartbreak, and Acnologia's shoulders tensed as he hunched down._

 _"'M sorry Anna." He mumbled, not looking at any of them, "This isn't how I wanted it. You weren't supposed t' know."_

 _There was a pause, a breath of silence both profound and gossamer thin, before, "Why?"_


	32. Mashed

_**Happy Holidays! Hope everyone is safe! It's me, Mslead for your CHRISTMAS UPDATE (or whatever ya do). Didn't think we'd leave ya hanging did ya? Anyway, hope everyone is safe! Enjoy!**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 32**

 _ **Mashed  
** In love._

* * *

From where they camped out, the trip to Magnolia only took a few hours. They were back in the bustling town, completely transformed since the last time they had seen it. Their eyes were wide at the sudden spike of growth it had gone through, no one able to say anything about the sharp change.

"This adventure of ours has taken a bit longer than expected," Levy gaped, staring up at the cathedral taking shape in the center of their town.

Erza, who had met up with them at the entrance of the town, merely nodded in equal awe.

"Indeed it has." The redhead breathed as they moved through the streets that had somehow managed to get more complicated since they'd left, "I can hardly believe this is the same Magnolia."

It was easy to see this was only the beginning too. Already the rougher wooden buildings were giving way to stone and brick and finer materials. Their little town wouldn't be so little by the time it was done, and the beauty would surely be staggering.

"What are all those ditches for?" Wendy asked curiously as they traveled alongside one towards the sheriff's office.

"Those will become the canals I imagine," Lucy replied, "I remember dad said something about using them to direct the river and drain the delta." She smiled, "We'll have lots of greenery here when it's done!"

"I think we've got bigger things to worry about right now than Magnolia's layout." Gray grunted as the office came into view and frowned at the sight of the people milling around it, "Looks like something's got Jellal up in arms. Is that Gramps over there?"

"Indeed it is." Erza frowned and increased her pace once their presence had been noted by the master, "I wonder what's happened."

"Erza!" Makarov called a moment later as they got into range, "It's good you're back. We have a problem!"

"What's happened master?" Erza asked as she rushed forward, quickly followed by everyone else.

Makarov studied Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy for a moment, "I assume you three are the remaining dragon siblings I've heard so much about? You three have kicked over quite an anthill." His gaze narrowed on Natsu, "Especially you young man. I'm relieved to see you all back however."

"Gramps, what's going on?" Gray demanded, and Makarov sighed.

"The two that came in with Sorano and Yukino have gone missing." He replied grimly, "No one knows how it was done. The last anyone saw they were sleeping in Sorano's guest rooms. They just vanished overnight without a trace or apparently a struggle."

"What!" Natsu exploded, his eyes widening with renewed terror for his siblings. They were gone. Again. Just as quickly as they had been found.

He felt something twist in his gut, knotting tightly past the point of pain. Here in the safety of Magnolia his brothers disappeared again.

Lucy put a pacifying hand against his shoulder, which grounded his mind enough to let him think back again on what was happening.

His brothers were survivors, it was likely they had seen all of the noise surrounding the town and had gotten antsy. In truth, Natsu was uncertain of the changes to Magnolia. He wasn't a fan of change in general, and his family tended to stay away from larger towns. Hargeon being the largest, and only by necessity.

"Don't get up in arms yet son," Makarov grumbled at Natsu, "we've got the whole guild looking for them. If they're here in Magnolia, we'll find them. One way or another."

"What can we do to help master?" Erza asked firmly.

"I'd like you to help with the search." Jellal spoke up as he came out the door, and there was no mistaking the way his expression softened a little for a moment as he smiled at her, "Based on the description we got from Sting and Rogue we have reason to believe Acnologia's been in town."

He glanced at Lucy, "It seems he's been a frequent visitor of your aunt in recent weeks. Don't worry. She's unharmed. However, considering the circumstances, it seems likely that Acnologia's taken the twins."

"Have you found any evidence of that?" Erza asked sharply, and Jellal shook his head.

"Not yet. I've had Racer checking all the entry and exit points in town for anything suspicious, but he hasn't located anything yet. It's possible he's lying low until he can smuggle them out."

"Bastard may not need to." Gajeel grumbled crossly, "Pa said Acnologia was a child of Skiadrium. The shadow dragon. If he was usin' the shadows he coulda grabbed 'em easy. An' if he was careful he could get the runts out of town without any problem."

"Then we gotta find Acnologia." Natsu growled darkly, slamming his fist into his palm.

Gajeel just nodded grimly, "Ain't gonna be easy though. So many humans around's gonna make it hard to sniff him out."

Lucy gasped, a sound so sharp it dragged everyone's attention towards her. Her eyes were wide and all her attention was on Jellal.

"I have an idea where to start looking," Lucy murmured, her bottom lip catching in her teeth.

"It's just a hunch but I'd like to look into it," Lucy confessed, her eyes sliding to where Natsu looked moments away from stalking in circles. It must have been killing him to stay still when every instinct was howling at him to spring into action.

"Look into it," Jellal nodded to her, "But take Salamander with you for extra back up. In the meantime, the rest of us are going to search for the darkest shadows in the canyons before Magnolia."

"If there's any place to hide 'em, that would be it," Gajeel growled reluctantly, "it's too risky to keep a dragon confined in a town. Just getting loose enough to let out a roar, magical or not is pretty damn loud."

"Then let's hope they manage that much freedom." Jellal replied grimly and nodded to Lucy as they headed off, "Contact us on your lacrima if you find anything."

"I will." Lucy replied grimly and tugged Natsu's wrist as she turned and started jogging back to her home. The home she was currently sharing with her aunt. Just the thought that Natsu's terrifying older brother had been near her aunt was enough to make her ill, but she trusted Jellal when he said she was alright.

Of course, she wouldn't actually _believe_ that until she'd seen it for herself.

"What're you thinking Lucy?" Natsu huffed from beside her, having long since learned that Lucy's logic was sometimes strange, but it was also very effective.

"Acnologia's been visiting my aunt." Lucy replied tensely, "Probably waiting for us to return from my little test trip to the nest." She glanced at him, "I'm sure he didn't expect that to take as long as it has, so he may have gotten careless."

"Careless how?"

Lucy frowned as she turned her attention forward again, "I'm not really sure. Maybe he left something with her or said something that would give us a clue." She scowled, "In any case, I want to see for myself that Aunt Anna is alright. I don't like the idea that your insane brother has been around her all this time."

"Yeah, that ain't sittin' right with me either," Natsu growled. He fell into step with Lucy, his eyes fixated straight ahead.

His lips pressed together and he eyed Lucy. He was hesitant to vocalize the questions he had bouncing around in his head. There was a distinct fear that he was possibly going to push Lucy into a defensive corner with what he would ask, but he had to.

"Luce, in your letters to ya aunt, what exactly-" He hesitated and swallowed around his dry tongue.

Lucy seemed to cotton on to what he was trying to say, and much to his relief she didn't look angry. In fact, she looked a touch resigned.

"-did I write to her?" Lucy finished, "Enough."

She slumped her shoulders and shook her head, "Not everything of course, I didn't want her to get worried, but I would give her some abridged accounts."

"Enough for an eavesdropping Acnologia to figure out where we are and how to lay a trap," Lucy gave him an apologetic look.

Natsu realized then with a start, that Lucy thought _he_ was going to be mad.

He just let out a bark of laughter and pressed his hand into the curve of her waist. He gave her a mischievous grin, chuckling low in the back of his throat.

"Gotta say I'm relieved, for a moment there I thought he had eyes everywhere," He slung his arm heavily over her shoulders, "you kept your family informed Miss Lucy, those are the makings for a damn good queen."

Lucy blushed at the praise, relieved beyond words that he wasn't angry with her for unintentionally informing the enemy of their every move. She slowed down enough to plant a kiss on his lips and smiled.

"I'll take your word for it." She replied, swallowing down the words that wanted to come out. Words of dedication and yes, love.

The last was a bit of a surprise, though perhaps it shouldn't have been. Not really. He aggravated and pushed her buttons like no other had done, and she knew no one else ever would. He was ridiculous and goofy and passionate and she couldn't get enough of him.

Maybe their romance wasn't one of roses and moonlit walks, but maybe it was better this way. Certainly there was no risk of her getting bored, and if he wanted her as his queen then she was certainly interested in the job. Gods knew it wouldn't be a boring ride.

However, she swallowed all that back. Now was neither the time nor the place for such things. They had a crisis on their hands and other things that took higher priority despite the way her heart pushed insistently at her. Fortunately for her resolve, the house came into view a moment later.

She breathed out a small sigh of relief as they trotted up to door and she went inside, "Aunt Anna?" She called in concern, "Are you home?"

"Lucy!" Anna exclaimed in delight as she rushed out of the kitchen to sweep her niece into a tight hug, "You're back! How did everything go?" Her lips twitched in amusement as she took in Natsu standing there, "I understand you've been getting up to a lot of mischief. And giving your father more gray hair."

"Er..." Lucy responded, a bright blush blooming on her cheeks, only for Anna to laugh and tweak her nose playfully.

"You're truly a Heartfilia." She smirked and tugged them both inside, "Now, you're going to sit down and tell me _everything_ that's been going on."

Natsu couldn't help but smile as they were dragged in and he scrambled to pull out the seats before they were shoved into them.

Anna's enthusiasm had been missed, and Natsu didn't quite realize by how much.

But he couldn't shake an odd feeling radiating up his spine, or the odd, yet familiar scent that seemed to permeate the kitchen. He grinned wide to push the unsettling feelings aside and twisted his body to pay attention to Lucy.

She was telling a story to her aunt, clearly relieved she was okay.

But Natsu's jaw tightened and that strange feeling he had mounted.

The window was cracked open just an inch, the smallest of branches from a scraggly tree scratching at the window pane.

A shadow flickered along the windowsill, cast by the branch as the wind bounced it.

But there was something strange about it, something out of time and dark. Enough for a shock of alarm to pass through him. His brothers warning voice echoed in his mind.

 _Acnologia is a child of the shadow dragon, Skiadrum._

"Lucy-!" Natsu warned out, his mouth popping open and rising halfway from his chair.

But it turned out to be too late. There was a burst of motion too fast to follow, and suddenly Natsu found himself flat on his back with long tendrils of shadows clawing around his limbs and throat.

"You'd best not struggle little brother." A voice growled thickly from the shadows as they poured into the room, the largest of which coalesced into who Natsu guessed had to be Acnologia himself, "I'm not aimin' for bloodshed."

"Yeah..." He croaked around the shadows pinning him down, "Sure got a funny way o' showin' it!" He bared his fangs darkly even as Lucy surged to her feet and grabbed for her keys.

"Don't." Acnologia snapped at her, though Natsu was shocked to discover the look on his face was more pained than angry, "My shadows surround you Miss Lucy. I could kill you in an instant if I wanted. Don't make me."

Lucy's movements froze, and Natsu frantically wondered just how they were going to get out of this in one piece when another sound reached his ears. The soft sound of another person. Anna. Whom he'd nearly forgotten was there.

"Acnologia?" She asked softly, her voice full of shock and pain and heartbreak, and Acnologia's shoulders tensed as he hunched down.

"'M sorry Anna." He mumbled, not looking at any of them, "This isn't how I wanted it. You weren't supposed t' know."

There was a pause, a breath of silence both profound and gossamer thin, before, "Why?"

The question was soft and delicate, filled with a hundred things that Natsu had no hope of identifying, and it seemed to pierce his brother. Who was, perhaps, not quite as much of a monster as he'd been led to believe. Not if the look on what he could see of his face was any indication.

"Draco the Dragon's my father." Acnologia mumbled after a moment, "I ain't fully human. An' for a dragon to lose his nest..." He shuddered as black scales started appearing on his skin and his fingernails lengthened into claws, "I'm gonna fix it. I'm gonna make it right. Finally."

He met his brother's eyes firmly, desperation and grief hiding behind his resolve, "You know what I've done." He growled, "What I could do. But as I said, I ain't interested in bloodshed. You agree t' come quiet an' not struggle or try to escape until the gate's open an' I _swear_ the queen's won't come t' any harm by my hand."

Natsu grit his teeth and glared up at his brother, who seemed to be conflicted with everything around them. A flare of intuition jolted in his gut, warring his attention on his brother's face.

"You leave 'em be Acnologia," Natsu whispered, "And I'll go with you."

"Natsu no!" Lucy cried out. But it was too late. The contract was settling between them, and in a rush of shadows that twisted in a wave around them... both Acnologia and Natsu were gone.

Anna let loose a sob, one that had her crumbling into the chair like a puppet with its strings cut. It was an action Lucy felt strongly, her legs giving out as suddenly the man she had grown to love was snatched out from in front of her.

Stolen away, as quickly as her mother had been. Another loved one gone.

"He's gone," Lucy said numbly. She inched forward on the floor, her fingers brushing against the spot where Natsu had been laying. It was still warm.

Her throat closed as the grief tore through her, and tears stung her eyes before spilling over as she choked on a sob of her own. Natsu gone. And they were no closer to finding out where he would be taken. Nor did she doubt Acnologia would grab Gajeel and Wendy too. It would be too easy to get them to agree exactly as he had Natsu.

Her sob turned into another and another until she was crying uncontrollably. She knew vaguely that she needed to get to the lacrima. Needed to call Jellal and tell him what had happened. However, she could not seem to force herself to move under the enormity of Natsu being gone. Gone without any confidence he would return.

A hand slamming on the table jolted her momentarily out of her hysterical grief, and she jerked her head up to stare at her aunt with wide eyes.

"No." Anna whispered, though her cheeks were no less tear streaked, and a scowl erupted on her face, "No!" She caught Lucy's eyes with her own, "We're not going to let it end here." She growled, "Not like this."

Anna impatiently wiped the tears off her cheeks and stood up. She walked around the table and pulled Lucy to her feet with a strength that shouldn't have startled her but did.

"Are you listening to me Lucy?" Anna demanded fiercely, "We are Heartfilia women. We don't know the meaning of give up! Now, I know that damn fool dragon thinks he's doin' the right thing, but we both know it's not, and we're gonna track him down and beat that through his skull."

"How?" Lucy asked, half demanding, "He can be literally anywhere! And we have no idea where he's taken Natsu or his brothers! Or where they plan to do...whatever it is they're going to do!"

Anna smirked, "Don't we?" She asked, "The pieces are all there. You just have to read them. Who is Acnologia working with?"

"Zeref." Lucy replied in confusion, "But we already knew that..."

Anna held up her hand, cutting her off, "What's Zeref famous for?" She asked instead and Lucy's brow furrowed.

"Creating demons." She replied automatically, "He created horrifying demons. Some of which are still out there." She stared at her expectant aunt, and suddenly comprehension crashed into her, "Tartaros!" She gasped, "Zeref's demons used Tartaros as their base! If Zeref has it..."

"Then that's where they're going." Anna finished, a proud smile quirking her lips, "We just need to find Tartaros."

Lucy felt a new surge of energy course through her, like pieces of a puzzle finally fitting into place. She swallowed hard and stared at her aunt in wonder.

Tartaros, the floating home of demons.

How could they find something that was constantly on the move?

Yet before depression could settle into her bones, her thoughts drifted back to Natsu.

Acnologia has Sting, Rogue and now Natsu. Which meant he had three dragons with him in a town where he was being hunted. Not even Acnologia with all his power could smuggle them out undetected.

Which meant... if Zeref wanted them...

"I have to call Erza," Lucy fumbled for her bag and the lacrima within it, "I have a feeling Magnolia is about to be under attack."

* * *

 _ **Alright everyone! And that's it for this chapter! Just three chapters left and then the epilogue! Hold onto your seats ladies and gentlemen! You're in for a fun ride! As for the sneak peek, unfortunately we didn't make it this time! I guess it's because of the holidays keeping everyone busy, but thank you so much to everyone who DID review! We read each and every one! See you guys next time! And stay tuned! I make no promises whether or not we will have a Wednesday update, but you never know!**_

 _ **If anyone missed it, we just had our fic Samhain wrap up, and at the end of it we included an clip from our new fic Tempest which will be coming out soon!**_

 _ **See you guys next time and thank you again for all your lovely comments!**_


	33. Mad as a March Hare

**Hey guys! Kytrin here this time! I'm pleased to report I am back home now, so barring something weird we'll be going back to our regular update schedule. To that end, please enjoy your new chapter!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 33**

 ** _Mad as a March Hare_**

 _Very angry._

* * *

In a secret location Natsu scowled as he was unceremoniously spit out of the shadows and into some kind of cage, "The hell was that for you jerk?"

He was pissed. Pissed that Acnologia had caught them unawares. Pissed that he'd given his word not to escape to keep Lucy safe. And pissed that this whole mess had dragged on for so long. There was a part of him that longed to grab the idiot by the hair and smack him until he came to his senses. Acnologia wasn't a drake after all, however powerful he might be, and Natsu's desire to deal with his wayward brother was snarling viciously at him.

Unfortunately, his own promise kept him from doing anything more than growling impotently while Sting and Rogue rushed over to him.

"Natsu!" Sting exclaimed, torn between hugging his brother to pieces for being there and demanding to know what the hell was going on that his _drake_ had been captured.

Rogue caught his twin by the shoulder and shook his head. Natsu hadn't taken his eyes off Acnologia since they'd arrived, and was staring at the elder dragon with an intensity that was more than just anger. There was something else there. A consideration that confused the hell out of Sting.

Why would he have any consideration for their insane brother?

"You didn't bind her." Natsu growled softly, meeting Acnologia's eyes fearlessly as they snapped up to his.

Yes, he was angry, but it hadn't escaped his notice that Acnologia's contract, while very effective for him, had not bound Lucy in any way. A potentially fatal mistake given Lucy's magic. A magic Acnologia was fully aware of. And Natsu would be lying if he said he wasn't curious.

"What're you talkin' about?" Acnologia snorted, though Natsu was sure he wasn't imagining the sudden tension in his brother's shoulders.

"Lucy." He growled lowly, "Your contract with me ain't bindin' to her in any way."

Acnologia's eyes were hard on Natsu, but he advanced towards the cage with slow steps. He may not have been a drake, but his presence was imposing nonetheless, and Natsu instinctively bristled, edging himself forward in front of his brothers.

When Acnologia merely continued to say nothing and give him that assessing glare, Natsu's impatience exploded.

"You've been careful and methodical this whole damn time!" Natsu snarled at his brother, "There is _no damn way_ you'd suddenly forget Lucy's a celestial wizard! You could have kept her away with a mere promise! Ya tried it before at the train!"

Natsu's words, heated as they were, seemed to strike a cord and Acnologia tore his gaze away from his brothers.

"You're right," Acnologia chuckled without even a trace of humor. There was an echo of pain that seemed to sink into the very core of his ravaged mind.

"I consciously did not force her word," Acnologia breathed, crouching down before Natsu, Rogue and Sting.

"It's a weakness I can't stamp out, no matter how hard I try," He growled softly, his eyes fixated on Natsu's.

"But that weakness won't stop me from trying to bring my nest back, to undo the damage," Acnologia looked at Natsu, "Maybe your Lucy will save you. I almost hope she does."

Natsu's eyes narrowed a little, "You _want_ her to?"

Why the hell would his brother want Lucy to stop him? He'd worked so hard to set all this up. To capture them. What was getting in the way now? That was when it hit him. Anna. Acnologia had been torn up over Lucy's aunt seeing him. He'd been too busy trying to break free at the time to realize it, but whatever his brother had been doing while he was spying had obviously had more of an impact than intended.

Namely, the Heartfilia ability to steal dragon hearts had struck again.

"You're in love with Anna." He breathed and was rewarded with a dark look and bared fangs, "Why the hell are you still doin' this if you're in love with her?" He demanded, "We ain't your nestmates, but damnit we're still family! You could join our nest if you wanted!"

Acnologia snarled and in a flash had grabbed Natsu by the collar, "You don't know what it's like!" He roared, pain and grief so tangible it could almost be cut, "I watched them Natsu! I watched them die! My sisters and brothers! _Your_ sisters and brothers! I saw them killed one by one until I was the only one left! No drake. No home. No _nothing_. Not even our stupid father!"

He shook his head and slowly lowered Natsu back to the ground, "No... you don't understand." He growled lowly as he looked away, "There's no way you could. I _have_ to try and save them." He turned away, "Even if it means losing the one good thing to happen to me since that cursed day."

Natsu stared at Acnologia, swallowing hard as his brother withdrew his arm from the cages. Immediately Sting grabbed Natsu by the back of his vest to yank him from Acnologia's immediate grasp.

He doubted Acnologia would make another grab for him, but he was too struck by the grief in his brothers eyes to actually care.

Dragons could go mad when they lost their nest. That much was true...

"How do you plan on doing this" Rogue asked, his voice quiet as he gripped Natsu's shoulder, "Your nest has been dead for centuries."

Acnologia's eyes lifted to Rogue, slow and purposeful. His lips curled into a bitter smile and he shook his head.

"I'm going to bring our father home," Acnologia murmured, "By opening the vessels he stored himself in, split across his stars."

He looked so pointedly at them, the three dragons all felt a chill at once.

"With the Stars mastered, the Gate of time will be opened, and I will change history forever," Acnologia growled.

Those words, while simple enough were difficult for Natsu to understand. But one thing was clear enough, changing the past would destroy their future.

Natsu snarled and lunged into the bars, forehead slapping against the magic dampening metal.

"Your Drake would _**never**_ forgive you for destroying your family," Natsu roared, "And even more sad, they'd be so disappointed you're ruining your own happiness in the process."

Acnologia's shoulders tensed and he glanced back over at Natsu, "You may be right." He acknowledged, "But I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing it for that stupid brat that used to be me." His smile was humorless, "Because when history changes... I'll go with it."

With that he turned and strode into the nearest shadow, leaving the three brothers alone.

"Damnit!" Natsu raged as Acnologia vanished, "That moron! If I get my hands on him...!"

He was beyond furious at his older brother. He respected the pain and grief Acnologia had been dealing with, but godsdamnit they were his siblings too! What the hell gave him the right to even _think_ of doing something like this? Nothing! And if he had to he was going to beat that concept into his brother's hide.

"Natsu.." Sting said slowly, distracting him from his immediate fury, "What do you think he meant about pa?" He rubbed his chest, "You don't think...?"

"He divided himself between us." Rogue finished, also rubbing his chest, "It would make sense. Why he vanished suddenly from the night sky. And why we've had no luck finding him."

"But wouldn't that kill him?" Sting demanded, "He's been in the mortal world for seven years if that's true! He's strong, but he can't be that strong!"

Natsu growled softly as he also rubbed his chest, wondering if somewhere in the depths of the fire that burned there Igneel was hiding, "But he's not is he?" He rumbled lowly, "We ain't fully human. An' there's one of us for every one of his stars."

"So it's possible," Rogue also reasoned, his expression reserved as he watched his brothers, "All this time searching... and part of him may have been with us this whole time."

"But why!" Sting exploded with impatience, seemingly frustrated by the way Natsu frowned in consideration and merely gripped the bars.

Natsu didn't have an answer for his younger brother, and it seemed neither did Rogue. So they fell into silence together as they awaited for the next step in their mad brothers plan. His head was already starting to hurt.

He hoped Lucy hadn't given up yet. There was still plenty of room left for a fight. And they would all have to be ready for it. If what Acnologia said was true, then their family was about to be reunited.

They couldn't escape. They were bound by their word. But that didn't mean they were totally defenseless.

Acnologia in a rare display of sloppiness, hadn't been specific enough with his promise. They could still defend themselves if they had to. That right hadn't been taken away.

He just hoped rescue came before it got to that point.

-::-

Meanwhile, Lucy was all but dragging her aunt to the sheriff's station as fast as she could move. Her call to Erza about what had happened, and the conclusions they'd come to, had put the redhead immediately on alert. She'd ordered Lucy to head back while she contacted the other teams. With luck, before Gajeel and Wendy were taken as well.

Though, as they approached, it seemed they weren't quite that lucky.

Levy was waiting for them outside, and one look at her friend's devastated face told her she'd had a close encounter with the black dragon as well.

"Lucy..." Levy murmured brokenly, her eyes overflowing with tears, "Gajeel is... he... they..."

"Oh dear..." Anna breathed as she swept past Lucy to pull Levy into her arms, "You fell for one too?" She shook her head as she stroked Levy's hair, "What am I saying? Of course you did." She wiped away Levy's tears, "Now stop your bawling. Those idiots aren't going to rescue themselves after all, and Lucy's going to need your help."

Levy blinked over at Lucy, who nodded grimly, keeping a tight lid on her own feelings, "We figured out where they'll be taken." She replied, "I told Erza. She must not've reached you yet."

Levy shook her head as she scrubbed at her eyes, determination replacing loss at the hope of finding Gajeel, "I came right back, but no one's told me anything."

"I would imagine that Erza's priority has been the teams still searching." Makarov spoke up as he appeared in the doorway, "What can you tell us Lucy?"

"Tartaros." Lucy replied, "It's where they'll be taken. And it's coming here to collect Natsu and everyone else."

There was a hush, not entirely unexpected at the name Lucy spoke. But Makarov's expression clouded over, hardening with age old determination.

It was one reflected in the set gaze and stare of everyone bearing the mark of Fairy Tail.

"Lucy and Levy, we're going to stand with you no matter what. These dragons may not be members, but they need our help," Makarov's gravelly voice carried over to the two girls. He extended his hand and looked at them much like a father would to their daughter.

"They mean a great deal to you, and so they mean a great deal to us. We will make sure you get your happy ending," He assured them both, "And drag those two back by their teeth if we have to."

"All of them," Lucy murmured, "The family isn't complete without all of them."

Makarov's expression softened, again in that way that made Lucy feel warm and proud. Like she had done something worthwhile. Makarov had a way of producing those feelings in all of his wayward children.

"All of them," He amended, his smile proud.

He squeezed their fingers reassuringly before turning to face the others, "Alright!" He commanded, "You brats heard Lucy! Tartaros is coming and there's no telling how long before it gets here! I'll not have our town leveled before it's even been built!"

The rest responded with a roar of agreement, and Anna stepped up, "Master Makarov, as the only non-wizard here I volunteer to work with the mayor and see the people here out of immediate harm's way."

"Aunt Anna..." Lucy breathed, but Anna just smiled at her.

"It's better this way Lucy." She replied, kissing her niece on the forehead, "I would only get in the way in a fight between wizards. This way you don't have to worry about me and can focus on the job at hand."

"If half the things I've heard about you are true Miss Heartfilia, I wouldn't bet on you coming out second best against a wizard." Makarov replied, "Nevertheless, I thank you for your help. It's much appreciated."

He glanced at Lucy's worried expression, "Mira, I'd like you to go with Miss Heartfilia as backup. There's a chance she could still be targeted. You can catch up to us once the townsfolk are safe."

"Yes Master." Mira replied and the two women set off just as Erza, Gray, and Jellal raced up.

"Wendy was taken." Gray panted angrily before anyone could say a word, "That bastard just showed up out of the shadows and grabbed us. He smashed our lacrima and threatened to kill us if she didn't cooperate."

"I was afraid that would happen." Makarov sighed, "But there's nothing we can do about it right now."

Gray still looked angry despite not being able to do anything about what already happened, but Erza looked up at the sky.

Her hand was fortifying on his shoulder, but her grip a bit too tight.

"Be as that may the decision as a whole may be taken from out of our hands," she said, voice tight and controlled.

Her gaze was distant, but Lucy followed it with no small amount of apprehension.

There, floating on the horizon and heavy just in their sight, she could make out the shape of a dark ship moving towards them.

A flying vessel. Of all the wonderful and frightening things.

Unfortunately as it stood, their planning was for naught.

"Get ready for a fight brats!" Makarov shouted, clearly taken by surprise.

Tartaros had arrived.

-::-

Natsu growled lowly as he and his family were prodded along by one of Zeref's freak minions. He'd been pretty much growling non-stop since his capture, the only exceptions being when he was reunited with Wendy and then his three eldest brothers, but even that hadn't quelled him for long. And now they were being led to what he assumed was the place this ritual would happen.

Here in a few minutes the contract binding them into being docile would vanish. Assuming they survived it, which wasn't a guarantee at all, they would be free to fight, and he was spoiling for a major one. He'd already snapped one lesser demon in half when it got too proddy with a shocker stick.

The lesson had been pointed and Acnologia had taken over escorting them after that.

Not that their older brother was exactly being met with anything warmer than tightly leashed rage. Especially since Wendy had been upset since she arrived. No one made their sister cry with impunity. Not even their brother.

"Natsu..." Wendy asked, her voice tight, "What's going to happen to us?"

Natsu paused in his growling to curl an arm around her shoulders, "The bastard up there says they're gonna use us to pull pa out of hidin'. I ain't sure beyond that."

"I'm not a bastard." Acnologia growled, offended at the idea.

"He ain't talkin' about that kind o' bastard." Gajeel rumbled darkly as Natsu bared his fangs and struggled against his contract to try and attack Acnologia, "He's talkin' about how you're actin'."

Acnologia sighed, "I know that brat." He growled, "I wish you'd understand all I'm doin' is trying to restore my nest. I don't have anythin' against any of you."

And he really didn't. In fact, his younger siblings reminded him of his nestmates quite a bit. Enough that his heart ached when they were all together. The only real surprise was that somehow this nest had managed to produce _two_ drakes. Drakes that worked surprisingly well together.

"I'd find that a lot easier to believe if you weren't tryin' to tear _our_ nest apart in the process." Laxus growled lowly.

Acnologia's eyes flashed towards them, his eyes falling across Laxus with silent consideration for the lightning dragon. He hadn't spent much time with any of his siblings, but he was certainly interested in them.

"The only one you have to thank for the situation we all are in now, is Draco," Acnologia said slowly, "He opened up our nest to humans. Humans that slaughtered my family while he stood there and watched it happen."

"Perhaps if Draco actually cared for his family, he would have done something more than watch us be destroyed," he growled at them, "Or done something besides hide in his children and let them think they've been abandoned for years on end."

"But you're thinking it yourself," Erik rasped out from behind Laxus. His eyes were intense on Acnologia, sniffing out blood in a way only he and his very unique abilities were able to.

"You don't want us to die. Not really," He hissed, driving his point forward as they stumbled forward one step at a time, "You know we're a nest, one you've seen together and relate to. You're about to destroy another part of your family just to bring back a scrape of the past - even if it means sacrificing the woman you love to do it."

Erik watched Acnologia's step falter, just by a hair. A sign of the doubt planted earlier by Natsu sprouting by Erik's words.

"You're mad at pops," He growled, "I get it. I'm pissed at the old man too. We've been alone and afraid for so long, fending for ourselves and running from humans because of what they did to you and _your_ nest. What they've done to our family."

"But you're gonna destroy us just like those humans destroyed you long ago," Gajeel spoke up, getting where Erik was coming from and catching onto the thread, "You're gonna destroy that Jane you've gone and fallen for. And there ain't no telling if she, or any of us will come back in any shape once you reset the timeline."

"And either way you'll be without your queen." Sting interjected softly, fury and sadness warring for dominance on his face, "You're willing to risk killing her for the sake of a maybe."

Acnologia sucked in a pained breath at the bald statement. He'd tried not to think about that. About the chance that Anna wouldn't be born again. About how it would be his fault if that happened. Not that he would ever know it. He would've been four hundred years dead by then. But that was a long time for things to go awry.

And he hated to admit it but his younger brother was right. There was no guarantee this plan would work. It was only an attempt to change history. Not a promise that it would all work out the way he hoped.

"Why would you do that?" Wendy asked suddenly, "Why would you risk so much like that? Aren't we your family too?" She looked down and rubbed her chest, "What happened to you and the others is horrible, but I don't wanna die." She sniffed as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks, "I don't! I wanna see Natsu and Gajeel get married! I wanna see new hatchlings in the nest! I want..."

She choked up and turned to bury her face in Natsu's vest as quiet sobs wracked her frame.

Sobs that had Acnologia trying to swallow a lump of guilt and self-loathing.

She reminded him so much of his sisters, and he hated that he was upsetting her so. But what was he supposed to do? He had to save his nest. Even if they hated him for it he had to try. But with every step the cost seemed that much more painful, and as they entered the area containing the gate he found himself suddenly reluctant to let Zeref near them.

As he reluctantly lined them up his heart tore when, for a moment, the faces staring back at him weren't his younger siblings, but ones much more familiar to him. There was Freya growling furiously at him in Natsu's spot and demanding to know what the hell he was thinking trying to bring back the _dead_ when the _living_ were right there with her expression alone. Further down was his twin sister giving him that disappointed look she always did when he was particularly stupid, and his chest constricted.

He could see them all standing there protectively near their living siblings, watching him from his brother's and sister's places. The past and present combined, and something in him seemed to crumble as grief clawed at his throat.

He couldn't do this.

The gates Zeref built were tall before them and admittedly beautiful in an imposing way he could hardly bring a voice to. But all the same, they were impressive.

Zeref was standing near the intricately designed gates. He was positively tiny before them, but there was something chilly in his aura that spoke of the death humans associated with him. There was a glimmer of excitement on his face, far different than Acnologia's own subdued behavior.

But he supposed he understood Zeref's enthusiasm. He had to sacrifice nothing to get what he wanted. To reach back in time to save his Queen, the woman called Mavis.

All Acnologia had to do was sacrifice his siblings.

He had made a terrible mistake.

"Acnologia," Zeref gave him a muted smile when he approached, his dark eyes casting over to the lined up dragons with a certain kind of greed that made Acnologia's stomach twist.

His hand reached out to rest on Acnologia's shoulder, barely blinking when it was pushed away by reflex alone. Zeref didn't even bat an eye, no doubt used to Acnologia's rougher behaviors.

"Are you ready?" He asked instead, his eyes focusing on Natsu - the dragon who was growling the loudest.

For a moment Acnologia felt like he was split in half. Part of him tottering between what he knew he wanted and what he was willing to sacrifice to obtain it.

"No," He rasped out, his head bowing down in a trembling movement.

"They're right. I can't do this," He murmured, eyes darting towards the dragons that were going still behind him.

"I release you," He said instead, the three words he knew would be enough to make Zeref's carefully laid plan unravel.

* * *

 _ **And that's the chapter! Alas, you guys didn't make the review goal again to get a preview, but I blame the holidays for that lol! Regardless, many thanks to everyone who did get a moment during the insanity to drop us a comment! Those were lovely little Christmas presents and we love you for them! Reviews or not, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday (whichever holiday you celebrate), and we'll see you Sunday with the next chapter!**_

 _ **Oh! As a reminder to everyone, Mythos, Reset, and Tempest are NOT out yet. Mythos is still slated to be our next story we publish, and Tempest and Reset are still works in progress. We haven't worked out yet what we're going to publish after Mythos, but I promise you'll eventually get everything. We ARE also working on Mslead's works in progress, but as she mentioned a couple chapters back those are lower on the priority chain for us to our current projects.**_


	34. Pull in your Horns

**HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE! Mslead here to ring this new year, we're throwin' this chapter at ya! Just one chapter left for you guys! Have a great day and be safe everyone!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 34**

 _ **Pull in your Horns  
** Back off, quit looking for trouble_

* * *

There was a moment of silence as the words penetrated. Natsu was the first to move as he'd been actively struggling against the bindings of the contract the entire time, and stumbled forward a little. He quickly regained his balance, and with an angry roar rushed Acnologia and punched him as hard as he could.

As the punch connected, and Acnologia went flying, Natsu blinked and then grinned fiercely, "Oh yeah, that's better." He growled happily.

Fire erupted all over him as he turned his gaze on Zeref, "So you're the asshole that wants to destroy my nest huh? That ain't gonna happen!"

"We'll see about that." Zeref replied calmly, though with an eager gleam in his eyes, "You'll find I'm not very easy to kill."

"Maybe not." Acnologia replied as he accepted Erik's hand up, rubbing his jaw ruefully, "But I think even you would have trouble against eight dragons."

Zeref tipped his head slightly at Acnologia, "I must say I'm quite surprised at the sudden change of heart Acnologia. Your determination to save your nest has always been your driving force. Do you no longer care about your brothers and sisters?"

Acnologia's eyes narrowed dangerously, "You would do well to never insinuate such a thing again." He growled, "I will always love my nest. But they would never forgive me if I sacrificed the one before me to bring them back."

He wasn't sure he would forgive himself anytime soon either.

Anna was right. He was an idiot.

"Very well." Zeref replied uncaring as a ball of black energy formed in his hand, "I no longer require you for this anyway."

"Be as it may Black Wizard, there's a reason you never fought against me," Acnologia hissed. His hands rose up, lifting shoulder height to conjure black shadows from the walls to wrap around Zeref.

The shadows coiled around Zeref, tightening in a vice around him. Acnologia held him, tightening his grip on the black wizard until his cheeks began to turn red. Acnologia merely nodded at Natsu, signaling he was free to go ahead with his attack.

Not that it turned out he needed to, as Natsu was already in motion the instant those shadows bound around their opponent. The fire dragon let out a bellowing roar, signaling his nestmates it was time to flatten the wizard who dared to tear their family apart.

All of the elements unfurled in a whirl, with Natsu charging at Zeref ahead of the curve.

However despite the wizards' disadvantage against such celestial creatures, his calm smile never wavered. Not once did it even falter.

A shock of alarm shot through Acnologia just as his siblings descended on the man, too fast for him to even voice a shout of warning.

Zeref was too calm, too accepting of Acnologia's betrayal

He had known it was coming all along.

"Wait!" Acnologia shouted, too late.

The trap was sprung, in a blinding flare of white light, illuminated by a rainbow of colors. Natsu was the first to be flung back, his body glowing a fiery red as a guttural scream erupted from his throat.

He dropped onto his back, curling in on himself as a great shadow emerged from his body, burning him with the flames of the stars themselves. Gajeel was the next to follow, his roars blotting out the screams of his fellow nestmates.

The silhouettes of their stars emerged, torn from their bodies all at once. Acnologia was knocked aside as Erik was flung into him, his body seizing in agony over the magic of their father coalescing in one place.

Zeref's laugh was cold, icy and quiet. His pale face was illuminated by the rainbow of colors coming from the slayers.

"I've been preparing for your betrayal for some time Acnologia," Zeref said calmly, the magic binding him now gone. He strode up to the felled Acnologia, his black sphere still clutched in his hand, "Your desire to save your family at any costs was frankly your only agreeable quality, but I knew it had been compromised after you began to spend so much time with that Heartfilia woman."

He looked a little sad, "It's a shame. Now you will be unable to go back to save your family. The honor of saving a person alone, goes to me."

He raised a hand, gesturing towards the massive door behind him which had begun to crack open, "I took a few... liberties."

Acnologia didn't follow the obvious gesture to look. He didn't need to. His ears worked just fine after all. And he was far more concerned with the problem in front of him. Namely that his former ally was standing over him with a death sphere in hand, and no matter how strong he was, getting hit with it would seriously hurt if not kill him.

Not an option he wanted to consider. Particularly since his siblings were all still gasping and panting in shock over their stars being torn from them so abruptly and brutally.

Fortunately, he didn't need to look hard for an opening.

With Zeref's gaze still fastened on the gate, he _wasn't_ looking at him. And an enemy not looking at him was an enemy that was open. More importantly, this was an enemy open to _him_. And he hadn't been slacking in his training despite the four hundred year nap. Sharp teeth flashed wickedly as he lashed out with a speed Natsu would struggle to match.

He rolled upwards, avoiding the sphere, and drove a hard fist into Zeref's comparatively tender stomach, driving the air out of the cursed wizard and breaking his concentration on the sphere.

He grinned as he ducked away from any instinctive reaction and followed it up with an equally powerful shadow wreathed kick.

"You might've taken liberties Zeref." He smirked as he dropped into a proper stance, "But you didn't account for everything, and I'm not gonna let you get through that gate."

He bit back another smirk at Zeref's angry scowl, and sucked in a deep breath, "Shadow Dragon Roar!"

Zeref flung himself to the side, somersaulting away and looking distinctly annoyed at Acnologia's stance. The dragon planted himself square in front of the gate, fangs bared and stance wide.

"You're certainly talented, but you've been asleep for long enough for me to gain the advantage," a black wind began to circle around Zeref, "What makes you believe you can stop me?"

"Because I'm just stalling you," Acnologia replied without hesitation.

Steel arms locked around Zeref from behind, Gajeel's heavy form squeezing the dark wizard's arms to his sides. The iron dragon let out a raspy laugh, his muscles sore from the pain they just went through but pushing through it regardless.

And all around Zeref, the slayers began to rise.

"Got any more tricks?" Natsu demanded, bracing his hands on his knees. His breathing was heavy but his smile was fierce and wide, " 'cus it's lookin' to me like you're about to be on the loosin' side of this."

Zeref cocked his head back towards Natsu and gave him an ice cold smile, "I'm so glad you asked."

All around them, the ground began to rumble, giving way to demon after demon that began to pour into the room from all directions. Wendy gasped and huddled back, Laxus' pushing her into a tight formation with Erik.

"You just had to go on and say sumthin' didncha?" Sting growled back at Natsu, who looked abashed at the whole situation.

"No use in gawkin'!" Natsu recovered, flames bursting around his fists, "Get 'em!"

-::-

"Press on!" Erza commanded stridently as more demons dropped to the streets, "These demons are weak and easily defeated!"

Lucy grimaced a little at the call and readied her whip, "You still alright Taurus?"

"I'm fine Mmmmiss Lucy!" The bull called back, "But this is goin' nowhere fast!"

Lucy frowned as she cracked her whip again. Taurus was right. The moment Tartaros had showed up low level demons had begun flooding Magnolia's streets, and weak as they were there was no end of them in sight.

"Erza!" She called over the din, "This isn't working! At this rate we'll be too tired to help Natsu and the others! We have to get aboard Tartaros!"

She fought her way over to the redhead's side, "There has to be a way for us to take the fight directly to them!"

"It would take a miracle to do that Lucy!" Erza replied, "These demons are dropping directly from Tartaros itself. We have no airship, and no means of bridging the distance!"

Didn't they? Lucy wasn't so sure about that. The distance was large yes, fatal to any human who tried it as a matter of fact, but these demons weren't much stronger than your average human. The non-magical townsfolk could probably take them on and win. Which meant there had to be some sort of magic in place to allow them to drop and land safely.

She studied her opponents critically. They weren't carrying any special equipment, and there weren't any signs of special magic circles on them. Perhaps the key was Tartaros itself? Her eyes widened as a sudden thought struck her, "C'mon!" She called, "I have an idea!"

She didn't stop to look if Erza was following her or not as she raced through the pockets of fighting to where Yukino was fighting with her sister, Levy, and Jellal, "Yukino! We need Libra!"

"What?" Yukino asked in surprise, "Libra? Why?"

"Because Libra can control gravity." Lucy replied quickly, "I think Tartaros has some kind of magic field affecting its gravity so the demons can land safely. If Libra can make us light enough we can jump far enough to get caught in it..."

"We might be able to land on Tartaros!" Jellal breathed, "Can Libra do that?"

Yukino frowned a little in thought, "Maybe. We'd need a boost to help propel us upwards, but it could work!

"Don't you worry about that little sister!" Sorano smirked, "We can get you where you're goin'!"

Something in Sorano's smirk sent a chill down Lucy's spine, but she ignored it as Yukino pulled out her key, a determined glint in her eye.

"Alright then." She said, "Get everyone together, and I'll call Libra."

"We need Warren for that." Erza spoke up from behind Lucy, "He's the only one with the broad range telepathy needed to speak to everyone. Lucy, stay here and help watch Yukino's back while I go fetch him."

"Right." Lucy replied, her gut twisting with anxiety as the redhead ran off with Jellal hot on her heels. She knew, logically, that it couldn't have been very long since Natsu was taken. An hour or two at most. It felt like a lot longer than that though, and each minute that ticked by only increased her tension.

Still, in a relatively short time she heard Warren's voice ring out in her head as he relayed the plan, and her anxiety started to bleed into relief as the guild quickly decided who was going and who was staying. It took even less time for Erza, Gray, and several others to join them as their guildmates obligingly cleared the way.

"Alright." Erza said, "We're ready."

Lucy wasn't quite sure what she'd been expecting as Yukino called Libra and asked her to lower everyone's gravity, but it didn't include Sorano giving them a positively evil smile.

"Now Hoteye!" The white haired woman called, and before Lucy could do more than squeak in surprise the ground beneath her feet melted. She was even less prepared for it to wrap around her, and outright screamed in terror as it flung her towards Tartaros.

"Why did I think this was a good idea?!" She shrieked as Tartaros' gravity caught them, prompting Libra to reverse her work, and propelled them towards a different battle entirely. She flailed a little ineffectually as she dropped like a stone and crash landed on a demon.

The surface of Tartaros was teeming with demons which was startling all by itself. Lucy, who had barely ever even seen a demon before today was astounded over what she was witnessing, but pushed away her shock for the time being in favor of focusing on the task at hand.

Natsu and his family were close by.

She didn't have keen senses like a dragon, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that half of the demons in Tartaros were splitting ranks, half rushing to the surface and the other half were pouring further into the lair.

But even if that much wasn't obvious, she could also hear the roars of dragons bellowing from deeper inside.

The demons were serving as drones around them, flowing around all the mages like water and hardly paying them any attention. It was an astounding difference to be sure from the flat out fight they were having in Magnolia, but Lucy was grateful for the rest.

"It's like they're a hive-mind," one of the mages that joined them murmured, brushing a long purple lock of hair from her face.

Erza nodded, gripping her sword with more force as she watched the flow of traffic, "You're right Kinana, the demons must be controlled from further within. We'll have to investigate closer."

Gray cracked his knuckles and tore off his duster, strangely pushing his hat more firmly down over his eyes.

"Then let's go already, we're burnin' daylight," he grumbled, already heading off after the tide.

Lucy smiled, smothering a laugh at the grumpy scowl on Gray's face. It seemed the dragons, despite his protests had grown on him.

She shared an amused look with Kinana as they fell into step with Erza, carefully keeping out of the immediate way of the demon drones. There hadn't been any bad reactions to their landing, but they weren't eager to kick the hornet's nest just yet.

Fortunately, it seemed like they could be rocks for all the drones cared as they had few troubles getting through the crowd. In fact, it was remarkably easy.

Lucy frowned a little as she glanced around, "Is it just me or is the crowd thinning out?" She asked after a couple minutes.

"I noticed that too." Erza replied, "It seems even Tartaros has limits to the number of demons it can deploy."

"Good news for us." Gray spoke up just as a deafening roar tore through the corridors and a jet of fire blasted through the walls.

"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed in mingled relief and worry and rushed forward to where the wall had been. Sure enough, in the distance she could see an absolutely livid looking Natsu flapping around as he mowed down the drones by the wave.

"ZEREF!" He bellowed furiously, "You snake skinned bastard!"

He dove for someone in the crowd she couldn't make out, and there was a pause before a telling glow and the crackle of battling magic exploded outwards from the spot he'd hit in a black and fire dome that probably took out more of the drones than Natsu had by himself.

"Heh. Looks like someone's havin' fun." Gray smirked in reluctant approval.

"Then let us not leave him and his kin to have the fun by themselves!" Erza replied as she slid down the shortcut Natsu had obligingly made for them.

Natsu let out a furious roar of flame, the heat from his magic blowing back through the tunnel he had carved out. Lucy was glad to see his wings open and his fury mounting. It at least meant he was okay.

Although she supposed okay was a relative term considering he was in the middle of a fight. Lucy felt a smaller figure join beside her and she turned enough to see Levy peering around her.

"Gajeel!" She gasped, her eyes following something just out of Lucy's sight. She too craned her head to see a flash of metallic wings glimmering out of her field of vision.

No doubt that was Gajeel, as the resounding echo of his roar boomed even louder than Natsu's furious snarls.

"They're free from the binding!" Lucy gasped, the fact that the dragons were _fighting_ finally occurring to her. She knew they had been contracted not to resist, which meant something happened...

Either they found a loophole or something happened to make the contract null in void...

Or, an errant thought entered her mind, it was possible that the person who had created the contract released it voluntarily.

Deciding to pursue the thought later, Lucy shook her head and took off after Gray and the rest of their teammates.

"Levy! Get to the slayers down below and get them their elements! You too Kinana, help Cobra out!" Lucy called to her guildmates. Both nodded obediently and branched off, taking Lucy's guidance on this. Lucy hid a smile, she didn't think she would have to convince Levy to go to Gajeel's side at all anyway.

Lucy pulled out her keys and swiped one through the air, "Open! Gate of the lion! Leo!"

The star dress settled over her in a familiar warmth, and she turned a smile to her spirit.

"I'm glad you finally invited me to join the party princess! I was starting to feel left out!" Loke gave her a roguish grin.

Lucy's brows furrowed but she managed a tight smile, "Sorry about that! Do you mind shining some light on the shadows bouncing around here?"

Leo nodded, throwing his hands out, "Chase out the monsters and shadows? It'll be my pleasure."

Erik growled as he melted another useless demon into a puddle. There was no end to these bastards! And he hadn't exactly been in top form when the fight started either. None of them had. He snarled as three more popped up in place of the one he'd killed, wondering just where in the hell they were all coming from. Was Tartaros some kind of demon factory too?

It honestly wouldn't surprise him at this point.

He snorted in irritation, keeping half an ear cocked for any sign that his siblings would need him, and got ready to deal with his newest opponents. If they could be called that.

However, before he could do more than raise a fist, glowing purple shafts appeared in their chests. Venomously purple, he noted in fascination as he watched lines of poison appear all over the demon's bodies before they collapsed.

He watched them writhe for a moment before looking up, and gaped as he was met with an angelic smile too dangerous to be pure.

"Irritating aren't they?" The owner of that smile asked in amusement as she licked a drop of poison off her fingers, and leaned forward a little, "Are you Cobra by any chance? Lucy said for me to come help you. I'm Kinana of Fairy Tail by the way."

Erik worked his jaw a little, for once all thought of smooth talking escaping him as his attention was riveted by the poison still dripping from her fingers, and the honestly earnest expression on her face.

She was close enough that it was easy to hear everything about her even with the din of battle in the background. The way she moved, her heartbeat, and her thoughts. Which were centered on him, and Lucy's orders for him to be fed poison. An order that confused the girl, but had Erik warming up a little more to Natsu's queen.

He pulled himself back into the present and managed to muster up a sharp grin, "I'm Cobra." He purred, "It's nice to meet ya."

"It's nice to meet you too, although I'd reckon a nicer change of venue would be preferred," Kinana gave him a gentle smile and picked her way over the nearby debris to get a little closer to him, "Lucy told me you needed poison, and I've got plenty of it."

"Are you a bomber, or an assassin?" She asked without judgement, patting at her waist for a water skin. She withdrew it and placed her hand over the opening, funneling a small supply into the bag. Erik fought back a smile a he saw her taking extra steps to insure his own safety in handling her poison.

He was unable to help himself from listening in on her sweet thoughts, apparently she had an extremely potent form of poisons and venoms that leeched through her body. For Cobra, that sounded like a tasty deal, but knew for a normal human it more than likely gave her a slew of problems.

She passed him the water skin with a sweet smile, and something in Erik's chest turned into a fluttering mess.

"Something like that," he gave her a thankful smile, noticing the circle around them to ward off enemy attacks. It was drawn in purple across the ground, it's purpose to keep them safe clear.

"This will be just what I need to get me my boost after being in that damned cage so long," He took a long swing of the poison, smirking at Kinana's bugged out expression.

"Thanks for the drink ma'am, next round is on me," He purred.

Erik didn't need super hearing to catch the 'wow' Kinana breathed quieter than what people could typically hear.

He hid his grin and dropped in a stance in front of her, a little surprise when she went back to back with him.

It seemed like they would have each others back. It was surprising, but Erik didn't find he minded the sensation.

"I don't suppose you've got any more surprises hidden away?" Kinana asked as they eyed the circle of demons, "We could do with gettin' rid of these drones."

"Would be nice if there was an end to 'em." Erik agreed, "Ain't seen one yet though."

Kinana grinned at him over her shoulder and he was struck by how close she was when she did that, and how pretty she smelled under the stench of combat, "Oh there's an end to 'em." She promised, "We saw it on the way in."

The words themselves conjured the memories and Erik's grin widened, "Interestin'." He purred, "What's say we go make that lack permanent?"

Kinana blinked a little but tilted her head as a smile curled her lips, "What did you have in mind?"

"Just follow my lead." Erik replied, "I promise you won't catch me by surprise."

His heart thumped a little as she nodded trustingly, and he walked boldly into the circle of waiting demons. He could see his brothers getting similar elemental treatment from Gajeel's little queen in the distance, and decided to let them deal with Zeref and the gate. Cutting off the supply of demons distracting and wearing them down was far more important.

He chuckled darkly as he stepped up to the poison line, "This ain't gonna end well for y'all." He growled and sucked in a breath, "Poison dragon roar!"

Instantly the stench of poison and decay filled the air as the demons shrieked, and Erik wasted no time sprinting through the opening he'd made, hoping to get to the main entrance before it closed back up.

He needn't have worried.

Even if he hadn't had Kinana backing him up with poison magic that frankly left him breathless, it seemed some of the Fairy Tail crowd had cottoned on to his idea and had quickly converged on his point.

Hmph. Maybe his little brother wasn't _completely_ lacking in taste after all.

* * *

 **Just one more chapter plus the epilogue left my lovelies! You guys totally knocked it out of the park with your reviews and definitely earned your sneak for the last chapter! We're super excited for our new project we'll be posting after it, we're kind of going back and forth on what to show you guys next, but it's probably going to be Mythos. That fic has been done for well over a year now and boy that's a while for a completed fic to be sitting on my hard drive. Anyway, be safe out there for New Years, and if you do have some drinking please be somewhere safe!**

* * *

 _It said quite a bit about Acnologia that a killing blast like that from Zeref did not put the dragon in his grave, but the wounded dragon clutched at his left side his eyes wide in pain over having been so grievously injured._

 _He was on the other side of the gate, without ever having intended on being there..._

 _And at once, he saw his panicked siblings faces as a huge torrent of wind burst from the gate, slamming rocks and debris into their side of the gate._

 _By pushing Acnologia through, the gate had been activated... The simple act of passing through was causing damage to the present, while the past remained intact._

 _The winds grew in their force and power, pushing against even the sturdiest of the slayers and making it difficult for them to even remain standing._

 _"Acnologia!" Natsu roared over the wind, snarling as the winds threatened to blow him away entirely, "Brother!"_

 _Acnologia's heart thumped painfully at that treasured word. It had been far too long since it had been directed at him, and to hear it now..._

 _The sound of another explosion rang in his ears and he looked up into the calm desert on his side of the gate, his heart constricting as he realized what day this was. Of course. The gate would set itself to whatever day the user was thinking about. And there was only one date that had been on his mind for the last four hundred years._

 _He tore his gaze away from the nearby village as Natsu, fierce, proud, innocent, Natsu roared his name again. There was entreaty in his little brother's voice. A plea for him to come back to them._

 _A plea he could not answer._


	35. Up A Tree

**Hey guys! Kytrin here with your last official chapter of Wild Aces! I can't believe we've finally reached this point. It seems forever and an instant at the same time. I hope you all enjoy the chapter! I have a few announcements at the end.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 35**

 _ **Up a Tree, Treed** _

_In difficulty, cornered, unable to do anything._

* * *

The stench of decay and the burn of flashing light bloomed across the battlefield. The slayers all stood side by side, each one with their wings spread open and surrounding the weakening Zeref.

His demons had fallen, his traps had been undone, and hemming him in from every exit stood an angry member of Fairy Tail backing up a dragon.

Zeref looked yearnfully at the golden magic of the Eclipse Gate still glowing with Draco's light, swirling behind the unmoving Acnologia.

Natsu panted, taking a step towards Zeref who merely gave him a disinterested glare.

"It's over, we've beaten you," Natsu snarled, leaving no room for him to retreat.

Beyond Acnologia, the doors of the Eclipse Gate yawned, open and inviting.

Zeref let the signs of his defeat sag over his shoulders, "Perhaps you're right. I never thought I'd understand what it felt like to have my grip on life begin to fade..."

He sighed heavily, a great sadness etching on his face, "I'm sorry Mavis."

Acnologia watched Zeref unimpressed by the dark wizard's distractions, but Natsu stilled and seemed to listen to his words.

However he felt in his age old bones that there was still one more trick Zeref had up his sleeve. Which seemed ridiculous, because the Immortal Wizard appeared to be dissolving right before his eyes.

Zeref gave Acnologia a lingering look, before he smiled at Natsu, "I promised I wouldn't fail her."

"Fail who?" Natsu asked, his brows furrowing in barely restrained anger. His confusion was etched on his face, and he was showing an odd blend of interest, boredom and outright rage.

Zeref didn't respond, but faster than anyone could reach, his hand flashed up and in a second had summoned every last ounce of magical strength he had left in his entire being.

A black orb was launched, hitting Acnologia squarely in the chest and blowing out the otherside. The dragon gagged in shock, not having expected the attack and staggered backwards, blown a few feet backwards-...

-... and straight through the Eclipse Gate.

It said quite a bit about Acnologia that a killing blast like that from Zeref did not put the dragon in his grave, but the wounded dragon clutched at his left side his eyes wide in pain over having been so grievously injured.

He was on the other side of the gate, without ever having intended on being there...

And at once, he saw his panicked siblings faces as a huge torrent of wind burst from the gate, slamming rocks and debris into their side of the gate.

By pushing Acnologia through, the gate had been activated... The simple act of passing through was causing damage to the present, while the past remained intact.

The winds grew in their force and power, pushing against even the sturdiest of the slayers and making it difficult for them to even remain standing.

"Acnologia!" Natsu roared over the wind, snarling as the winds threatened to blow him away entirely, "Brother!"

Acnologia's heart thumped painfully at that treasured word. It had been far too long since it had been directed at him, and to hear it now...

The sound of another explosion rang in his ears and he looked up into the calm desert on his side of the gate, his heart constricting as he realized what day this was. Of course. The gate would set itself to whatever day the user was thinking about. And there was only one date that had been on his mind for the last four hundred years.

He tore his gaze away from the nearby village as Natsu, fierce, proud, innocent, Natsu roared his name again. There was entreaty in his little brother's voice. A plea for him to come back to them.

A plea he could not answer.

Another explosion sounded in the distance, and he looked up to see one of Freya's signature fireballs envelope what had to be half a dozen buildings. He ached to see her again. To rush to her side and help her fight. It was a want so great that it tore at his chest.

And he turned away from it.

Instead he tightened his grip on his side of the gate door, for once lamenting he wasn't Igneel's child and could cauterize his wound. He limped back up to the gate, to where he could see the brats that had somehow come to mean as much to him as his first nest did.

"Close the gate Natsu!" He roared back, smiling grimly as shock crossed their faces.

"What? But-!"

"It's the only way!" He insisted, blinking a little as his vision started to swim, and he dropped to one knee, "Do it! Close the gate and destroy it!" He took a few deep breaths and forced himself unsteadily back to his feet, "Don't worry about me." A softer smile cross his face, "I'll die here. With my nest. You have my word I won't interfere with the past."

"But we can save you!" Natsu shouted, oblivious to the tears stinging at his eyes, "Just cross back over!"

Acnologia laughed shakily as his knees buckled again and pulled his hand away from the wound. He knew just as much as Natsu did that it was terminal. There was no amount of sky magic that could stitch him back together, "I'm as good as dead anyway Natsu. Let me have this. Please."

"No!" Natsu screamed back against the winds, "You don't get to _have_ this! You need to come back with us, get healed up, make amends and make Miss Anna happy!"

He fought against the winds with all he had, gripping onto the door and reaching out to drag his eldest brother over by force if he had to. But Acnologia couldn't help but laugh at the stubbornness of Natsu.

Just like Freya, trying to keep the nest together with every stubborn ounce of fire in their bodies.

"This door can only be closed by the one who crossed through, on this side, and someone on your side," Acnologia watched Natsu's pale face, "If you don't, you'll lose your nest here. You'll lose your Queen. And then I'll _really_ lose lady Anna."

Natsu reared back as if struck, his grip slipping just a bit at Acnologia's words. But he turned slowly to look at the ground breaking apart from around the door, his chest heaving as the reality of what was happening around them.

His other siblings were screaming too, and Acnologia was amazed how they all wanted to save him despite everything he had done.

But Natsu looked down at the ground, his palms flattening against the door as he slowly raised his fierce gaze up at Acnologia. He gave a stiff nod, tears stinging in his eyes as he slowly began to push against the door.

The winds grew in their intensity, as if sensing someone was trying to close the gates of time, and Acnologia gave Natsu a grateful smile before he summoned up his strength and grabbed the lip of the door to yank back as hard as he could.

"Natsu! The hell're you doing!" Gajeel roared, grabbing onto Natsu's shoulder to try and stop his brother. Only to stop at the expression on Natsu's face and the low growl coming from the fire dragon.

A conversation seemed to pass between the two drakes, wordless in their own way of communicating before Gajeel swore and looked down, planting his feet into the ground next to Natsu and pushing on the other door.

"C'mon! Quit yer gawkin' and help us!" He roared back at his dumbstruck siblings.

Acnologia almost laughed as the grim faces of his brothers and sister slowly began to line the edges of the door as they creaked away, Acnologia doing his best to close the doors on his side despite his failing strength.

The winds pushed against the slayers from the past, whipping hard into the present.

Natsu let out a roar as he poured his magic into pushing the mighty door closed, his arms trembling with the exertion he was putting into the act. But no matter what ground they gained, the door didn't seem to want to close the last little bit.

They were all exhausted from their fight, from the ordeal of having the stars of Draco pulled from them, from the long journey, and now this.

It seemed like closing this door was the one task not even all of them could achieve.

At least that was what Natsu thought until a slim hand, glowing with a celestial light landed directly on top of his.

Natsu looked, mystified at who it was, because it was not a hand he recognized, although it carried a certain familiar warmth he instantly resonated with.

He was staring into the face of a woman with a long pink braid running down her back, golden bangles chiming at her ears and wrists. Her dark slanted eyes and fangy smile immediately told him who this was, even if Acnologia, on the other side hadn't whispered her name.

"Freya...?"

Freya's grin broadened at his dumbfounded expression, _"Stars don't die so easily Accy!"_ She called to him, _"You should've remembered that a long time ago!"_

She laughed a little as his jaw dropped and shifted her weight so she was firmly between the two drakes, _"I'll see you soon big brother!"_ She called as she threw her weight against the doors.

Slowly, inch by painful inch, the doors screeched closed under their combined weight until at last they slammed shut with a ponderous clang.

"I... don't understand." Natsu panted as he leaned against the doors and turned a half accusing eye on his sister, "He said you were dead!"

Freya smiled again, a little more sadly this time and gently flicked his forehead, _"Stars don't die so easily little brother."_ She repeated gently, _"But stars aren't made of flesh are they?"_

"Y-you became celestial spirits?" Lucy stuttered in shock, hardly able to believe what her senses were telling her.

 _"Oh I like you!"_ Freya grinned, _"You're a sharp one."_

Nastu felt his jaw drop in shock, "You... but what? Since when could we do that?!"

"You fry your brains or somethin'?" Gajeel panted, a wide grin across his face, "She's sayin' we become spirits when we die. Which means that damn bastard died in the past too. Acnologia's been watchin' this whole time!"

 _"He's not the only one. We all took turns minding you when Papa couldn't even if we couldn't do much to help,"_ Freya smirked at Gajeel and walked back towards the end of the cave. Her steps were light, leaving no footprints as she moved. Her body was fading the same way Zeref's had, but this time hers began to disappear into sparkles.

 _"But,"_ she pointed at Natsu and tapped at the space under her collarbone, right where Natsu's lucky charm rested against his skin, _"You may want to thank him for getting that back to you, the rule breaker."_ she winked.

And with a faint laugh, she was gone, disappearing back to the stars.

They watched her go, their eyes searching up at the night sky overhead.

Wendy let out a sharp gasp, her hands flying up to her mouth.

"Look! The stars!" She pointed upwards, "It's dad!"

Natsu's head snapped up, his eyes falling to the familiar constellation as he took to step next to Lucy. He caught Igneel's fiery star, twinkling bright overhead.

As if it had never been gone.

"Dad," He breathed out, choking a bit through a watery smile.

"We-... actually did it," Sting gasped, his knees giving out enough for him to just flop down to the ground. The bright smile that split across his face though was joyous, tears prickling at the corner of his eyes.

He scrubbed at them fiercely with the back of his hand and let out an incredulous laugh.

Natsu looked over at Lucy, his hand reaching out for hers, "You kept your word..."

And somewhere out there, Acnologia was watching too.

Maybe one day soon they would see him again as well.

Lucy smiled as she grasped his hand and leaned against his shoulder, "We both kept our word." She replied and kissed his cheek.

She glanced around a little, "I do have one question though."

"What's that?"

"How are we supposed to get off this thing?" She asked, only to burst out laughing as Natsu's happy expression morphed into one of horrified shock.

"I suppose I could have Libra help again." Yukino suggested.

"Oh no!" Lucy protested, "I am not doing that again! Between Libra and whatever that was that Hoteye guy did..." She cut off with a squeak as she was suddenly lifted bridal style into Natsu's arms.

"What're you so upset for princess?" He asked her with a cocky grin, "Didja forget I had these?" He flapped his wings a little for emphasis.

"For once you have a good idea little brother." Erik smirked as he bowed to Kinana, "Allow me the honor of carrying you lovely lady?"

Kinana's eyes widened a little and she blushed brightly, "Oh! Um, I'd be delighted!" She smiled back at him, "You owe me a drink anyway!"

Lucy stifled a laugh as the slayers all collected their human friends and flapped off of Tartaros. There would be a lot of work ahead cleaning up the aftermath of this mess, but she didn't mind. It felt like a great weight had been lifted and everything was bright and new with possibility.

There were worse ways to mark beginnings.

-::-

Several hours later, Anna sighed a little as she walked into her house. It was, mercifully, still intact with only minor damage from the battle to show anything had happened to it at all.

It was small comfort however.

Lucy had told her the entire story of what had happened since they'd parted ways. About fighting Zeref, about the gate, and... about Acnologia.

Dead in the past and turned into a star. It sounded like something out of a storybook, and yet she believed every word of it. How could she not after everything she'd seen these past few weeks?

The knowing did nothing to help her aching heart though. Acnologia might be alive, but he was a celestial spirit now, and she knew what that meant. Without a contract, without a key and a wizard, she would never see him again.

The thought broke her heart and she sank down in the nearest chair as the tears she'd been holding back broke free at last. A sob tore at her throat and she buried her face in her hands as she gave voice to her grief.

 _"C'mon now."_ A gruff voice growled, startling her out of her tears, as a hand touched her shoulder. She jerked her head up, and a handkerchief filled her blurry vision, _"Ain't right for such a pretty lady to be crying."_

"I..." She gasped and lurched to her feet as she finally realized she wasn't dreaming, "You... you're here?!"

Acnologia gave her an affectionate grin, _"Hello Anna. It's been a long time."_

She stared at him as if hardly believing what she was seeing in front of her. Acnologia, voice rough just like she remembered and figure imposing like it was before standing like he was really there.

Hesitantly, her hand lifted to touch his cheek, gasping when she felt warm, solid skin beneath her touch.

"You're really here," she gasped, her eyes growing wide in shock.

"But h-how, yo-you were ju-just-" tears filled Anna's eyes, her bottom lip trembling as she was torn between smacking him for all the grief he put her through.

Instead she reached up, her fingers curving into his long light hair and dragging his head down to her level.

Anna wasted no time, hallucination or not - she was not the type to look a gift horse in the mouth. She closed the distance between them, wet tears rolling down her cheeks as she rose on her toes to meet the lips she had been dying to taste for what felt like years.

It was warm, firm, and gentle. Tasting just a bit like salt and tears, Anna could hardly contain the bubbling laugh of disbelief that escaped her when they parted.

Acnologia appeared to be dazed from that simple kiss alone, and Anna took the opportunity to take a good look at his face.

It was softer now somehow, as if his edges had been smoothed down, the surly exterior still there but calmed and tempered down.

 _"I'm sorry,"_ Acnologia said quietly to her, _"I caused ya a mighty load of grief didn't I Miss Anna?"_

"That you did you stupid dragon," Anna replied with a wet sniffle, marred a bit by the dopey smile that lit her face.

As angry as she was for everything he had done... She was insurmountably happy he was there with her now.

She took a step apart from him and held his hands, knowing enough about celestial spirits to understand that him being there with her was not by chance.

"How are you here right now?" She breathed to him, hands trembling, "I thought you were-..."

 _"-I am,"_ Acnologia replied and lifted his palm to rest over Anna's open one.

 _"I've come to offer this, my services to the family Heartfillia,"_ he withdrew his hand, exposing a gold and black key, tightly coiled around itself with an intricate design on the hilt, _"To watch over your family's line from all harm..."_

He bit his bottom lip, his eyes slanting nervously to hers.

 _"...If you accept...?"_

Anna's eyes widened in shock, "You're offering my family your key?"

It was unbelievable. Even she knew that Celestial spirits rarely offered their keys anymore. There were few they considered worthy of the honor. To have him offer to protect her family like that was... it was a profound gesture.

 _"I would offer it directly to you if I could."_ Acnologia replied softly, regretfully, _"But your magic is too weak to make a contract with me, let alone summon me. I'm sorry."_

Anna's heart melted at the admission, and she smiled as she curled her fingers around his beautiful key, "I'll leave the contracting to Lucy." She replied with a small smile, "She'll need more protectin' than I would anyway. Even with that charming fire dragon of hers around."

 _"Then... you accept?"_ Acnologia asked hopefully.

"I accept." Anna replied with a smile, "On the condition that you never put Lucy or myself through anything like this ever again."

Acnologia ducked his head in embarrassment, _"I am, truly sorry Anna."_ He murmured, _"A dragon without their nest is often driven mad. I was not in my right mind, and it took four hundred years as a star to undo most of the damage."_

Four hundred years and more than one outraged beating from Freya. Younger than him or not, his drake was terrifying when she was angry. And she'd been absolutely _furious_ once she'd found out why he was so different from the Acnologia she'd had breakfast with that day. It had taken Draco the better part of a century to smooth things over between them.

"No more apologies Acnologia," Anna set her hands on his cheeks, a watery smile on her face. She stepped closer to the dragon, happy just to have him near her, "Just promise me that won't happen again."

He placed his hands against her waist, pulling a hand up and across her shoulders. His forehead dipped down against hers, eyes closing, _"I promise."_

The contract flowed over them and the vow settled into stone.

Acnologia smiled, finally at peace.

* * *

 _ **And that's a wrap my lovelies! We DO have a nice little epilogue after this to show you how our insane western family is faring, but otherwise that will be it! In other news, Mslead had just finished an amazing fanart for our current project Tempest, and posted it to her tumblr! I highly encourage everyone to go take a look as it is awesome in every way.**_

 _ **And speaking of Tempest... after some deliberation we've decided to make that the next story we post! I know we promised you all Mythos next, but we feel Mythos still needs some revision before it's ready to post, and would rather not try to do that while rushing to get chapters out. Reset we're holding off on posting entirely until more of that mammoth is done lol! I swear, at this rate we'll be posting our stories when we're 60!**_

 _ **As always I would like to give a major shout out to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! You guys were amazing and we love you! We'll see you on Sunday with the epilogue!**_


	36. Ace

**Mslead here to bring you the end of Wild Aces! It's been lots of fun going on this journey with you, I'm glad you all stuck with us. We're so grateful for everyone who stuck with us for so long! Without further ado, here is your epilogue!**

* * *

 **EPILOGUE**

 _ **Ace**_

 _a person who excels at a particular sport or other activity._

* * *

Lucy smiled a little as she stepped inside the newly refurbished guild hall, and tried not to laugh at the chaotic sight that greeted her eyes.

In the five years since the battle with Tartaros Magnolia had bloomed into a full fledged town. This was no longer a frontier backwater with a relatively small guild trying to eke out a living. Fairy Tail had grown into a powerful guild in its own right with a reputation that went with it. A reputation that was owed in large part to the dragon nest that had claimed the guild for themselves.

Dragons that were... currently having an eating contest with their father watching on.

Draco had returned from the heavens a few months after being released from his children. He took the time after the gate was destroyed and his spirit as freed to recover back in the stars, but since then had come back down from the heavens multiple times. _To keep his rowdy boys and daughter in line_ , is what he said.

She snorted to herself and shook her head just as the cries of, "Mommy! Mommy!" reached her ears over the shouts, jeers, and catcalls.

She turned her head and smiled happily as her young daughter rushed over from where her Aunt was holding court with the other guild children, and latched onto her leg.

"Hey baby Luna." She cooed and bent over to pick the little girl up, and drop her on her hip, "Have you been good for aunt Anna and Grandpa?"

"Yes mommy!" Luna nodded vigorously, "Daddy let me stay over last night an' I got to read stories with her an' eat chocolate cake an' wrestle with uncle Accy!"

"Did you now?" Lucy grinned as she waded through the crowd, quietly grateful she'd long ago abandoned the ridiculous dresses she used to wear, "I'll have to ask daddy what he was doing while you were away."

She wasn't too worried. Her slightly ridiculous dragon was busily trying to out eat two of his brothers, and he didn't appear to have any fresh wounds. That was good enough for the moment. She grinned as he glanced up and caught her eye, and outright laughed as he hastily swallowed his mouthful and _catapulted_ over the table to leap on her. Causing twin groans of annoyance from his siblings and an amused chuckle from his father.

"You're back Lucy!" He crowed happily, and dropped a sloppy kiss on her lips, "When did you get back?"

"Just now. Levy and Kinana have gone back to the nest. I got elected to report in."

Natsu growled happily at her, his hand sliding around her waist and reaching for her fingers with this other. His nose dipped into the hollow of her throat, his lips curving up into a happy smile.

"Good," He spun slowly with her, completely abandoning the contest in favor of swooping down to hoist his little girl from Lucy's hip up onto his shoulder.

Lucy grinned at the sight of Natsu wearing only a fabric vest, the symbol of Fairy Tail emblazoned on his shoulder in a ruby red.

She reached out, passing her thumb over the shield, her lips curving into a smile at him.

Even after all this time, it amazed her how readily the dragons had accepted their Fairy Tail shields. And for the dragons who had lived in such fear for their family in their past, to wear it with such pride...

They had all come so far, she from an heiress, barely able to ride a horse astride to a bounty hunter far more savvy to the ways of the desert.

And Natsu, going from a bandit that robbed trains and the rich, to a member of a reputable guild to take in legal jobs.

But the most important change between them was the little girl happily squealing between her parents and her grandfather watching benevolently over them all.

Natsu gave Lucy a bright smile, his intense gaze only on her.

"I love you," he breathed out to her, calm and quietly.

"I love you too." She breathed back and kissed him gently.

"And I always will."

 _ **Fin.**_

* * *

 _ **AND THAT'S A WRAP! Thank you to everyone for sticking with us during this story, it was a pleasure to share it with you. It was unbelievably fun. We're working on a couple of projects now, but we will be taking a couple of weeks of a break before we start posting Tempest. We're on chapter 30 of it now, but we want to get a little closer to it being completed before we start posting that one :)**_

 _ **You didn't make your sneak peek for the chapter, but since it's the last one I'll give you guys another sneak for Tempest. You can check out our story Samhain for another preview of our upcoming fic, Tempest!**_

* * *

 _Gray nodded sharply and headed back out, though not without a lingering back look at the still sleeping merman. Levy smiled confidently at Lucy, and followed Gray out leaving Lucy alone with her strange guest._

 _A guest who had his eyes open and was staring at her._

 _Had Lucy been a little less sea hardened, she might have screamed at the sight of those sharp eyes watching her through the glass._

 _As it stood though, his unnerving gaze followed her, shifting to straighten up in the water._

 _He was tall with his tail, ruby scales catching light as he moved towards the glass._

 _Slow, he almost hesitated in his movements before lifting his hand and resting it on the surface of the glass just where Lucy's hand still remained._

 _Lucy's breath caught at the merman's cautious movements. Her eyes followed him and he moved closer, almost pressing his face to the glass as he looked at her with an intensity that should have freaked her out._

 _"I eat human food," he said, answering her question from before. Lucy was hardly able to wrap her mind around the thought, because at once something inside her melted at the sound of his voice._

 _It really was as breathtaking as the legends made it out to seem. The silky tenor of his voice both somehow smooth and rough around the edges. It seemed impossible for both to exist, but Lucy was amazed._

 _"What's your name?" He asked, another hand drifting to the glass to stroke across the glossy surface._

 _"Lucy," she responded but remembered herself and shook her head to break free of the spell in his voice, "Captain Lucy Heartfilia."_


End file.
